Beautiful Soul
by captainwhiteshadow
Summary: Roxas has been in love with Namine for three years. But when Seifer comes along to steal her away, can he prove his love for her? Rated for language, attempted rape, violence, and POSSIBLY a lemon but I'm not sure. COMPLETED! But please continue to review
1. Chapter 1: Hidden Love and Arch Rivals

**Beautiful Soul**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters in this story. I do, however, own the mind that came up with the plot of this fan fic. Enjoy!**

**(A/N) I won't ruin all the pairings, but this is, obviously, a Roxas/Namine fic. Also, there will be slight yaoi in this fic, so if that offends you either try to ignore it or move on to another fic.**

**Chapter 1: Hidden Love and Arch Rivals**

Roxas sat in the back of the room, in between Kairi and Selphie. He had his head down on his desk, his expression on of boredom, as he listened to another one of Mr. Ginnei's lectures on the importance of math in the real world. He did this at the beginning of every new school year, and each speech was longer and more tedious than the last.

Roxas looked a few seats in front of him and to the left. He caught sight of a girl with long, blond hair. Her skin was porcelain white and smooth. She looked like she was trying to pay attention to Mr. Ginnei; trying to keep her blue eyes focused on him as he spoke, but Roxas could tell by the look on her face that on the inside she was screaming for him to shut up and move on with the lesson. _Namine_…that was her name. Roxas had known her since the fifth grade. She wasn't exactly the most popular girl, nor was she considered the prettiest, but that didn't stop Roxas from falling in love with her.

"Psst," a guy sitting next to her whispered as he passed Namine a note. She looked at the guy, who gestured for her to open it. After she read it, her face turned red. She seemed to be in deep thought for a moment, before turning to the guy and nodding. The guy smirked in triumph.

Roxas clinched his fist. Apparently, _Seifer_ wanted her, too. Seifer was an arrogant jerk who was popular with half the school — mostly the girls. Although that wasn't what bothered Roxas. What bothered him was that Seifer was a player. He only wanted girls so he could sleep with them, and then he wanted them gone. And now he was after Namine!

"Uh-oh, looks like Seifer's set his sights on Nami," Kairi whispered to Roxas.

Kairi was Roxas' closest friend. She was one of the girls who weren't a Seifer-fangirl-lunatic. In fact, she hated him just about as much as Roxas. And the fact that he just asked her sister out on a date made her hate Seifer even more.

"Man, she's so lucky!" Selphie beamed. "I wish he would ask _me_ out."

Selphie on the other hand _was_ a Seifer-fangirl. She has been trying everything to get the prick to notice her. She was Kairi's closest girl-friend.

"I don't see why you like him," Kairi said, disagreeing with her friend.

"Because he's such a hottie!" Selphie said. "He's charming, stylish, rich, and he has a nice car."

"You forgot the part about him being an arrogant dick who only cares about his own pleasure, and never really did any hard work in his life," Roxas said, speaking for the first time throughout the hour. "He's only rich because of his dead grandfather's will."

Selphie crossed her arms and huffed. "You're just jealous, Roxas."

Roxas blinked. "_Jealous_? Why would I be jealous of _him_?"

"Because he's cooler than you," Selphie said, trying to imitate Seifer's arrogant smirk. Roxas just rolled his eyes.

After school was out, students started piling out the doors. They were overjoyed that the long, first day back at school was over. As Roxas was walking back to his old, beat up motorcycle, he caught sight of Namine waving goodbye to Seifer. The bastard even winked at her as he drove off in his shiny, red Porsche. Roxas felt his chest tighten. He walked over to Namine.

"Hey Nami," Roxas said as he approached her.

Namine turned toward him and smiled. "Oh, hi Roxas."

Roxas looked around. "Kairi hasn't picked you up yet?"

"She went to get the car," Namine replied.

"Oh," Roxas said. He put his hands behind his head. "So, what did Seifer want?"

Namine blushed and looked down a little. "He…he asked me out on a date this Saturday."

"Oh…." Roxas frowned. "And what did you say?" He already knew the answer.

"I said yes," Namine replied, but she didn't seem as enthusiastic as most other girls would have been.

Roxas frowned. Namine looked so beautiful when she blushed, but he wanted it to be _him_ she was blushing for, not that bastard Seifer. He quickly wiped the expression from his face as soon as Namine looked back up at him.

"So, what are your plans for this weekend?" she asked.

Roxas quickly made something up. "Oh, uh…Sora, Riku and I were planning on seeing a movie and ordering some pizza."

It wasn't really a lie. They really were going to the movies and eating pizza. But "they" were just Riku and Roxas' twin brother, Sora. Roxas just told her he was going, too because he didn't want to seem like a loser who had nothing to do this weekend.

"Oh, okay," Namine said.

Suddenly, there was a honk. Roxas and Namine turned to see Kairi parked by the curb, waiting for Namine. She smiled and waved at them.

"Well, I gotta go," Namine said. "See you tomorrow, Roxas." She smiled at him as she left, making Roxas' heart beat twice as fast.

"See ya," Roxas mumbled as he watched Namine get in Kairi's car and drive off. He sighed and walked back to his motorcycle.

When he got home, Roxas went to his room and kicked off his shoes. He went to his closet and grabbed some clothes: a pair of black jeans and a faded, yellow t-shirt with a star in the middle. He quickly changed out of his school uniform — tan khakis and a navy blue, button-up shirt — and plopped down on his bed. Sora didn't get home until around 4:00 pm, due to the all-boys school he went to with Riku getting out later than Destiny High — the school Roxas went to — and their mom worked late at the hospital, so that left Roxas alone with his thoughts, and that wasn't good. He needed a distraction.

He reached into his bag and got out his homework. It took him about fifteen minutes to be done with that, so now he looked around his room desperately for something to occupy him. He found the answer to his problem when he spotted his guitar laying up against the wall. It was an acoustic Ibanez, its body a deep crimson. He took the instrument out of its case and tuned it. After strumming a few chords, a beat and lyrics started to form in his head.

"I don't want another pretty face—" he started, but was cut off by his cell phone ringing. He put the guitar down and answered his phone. "Hello?"

"Hi Roxas!" It was Kairi.

Roxas sat back down on his bed. "Hey Kai, what's up?"

"I just got done with my homework," Kairi said, then groaned. "History's such a drag!"

Roxas chuckled. "You're tellin' me."

Kairi's tone became serious. "So, what are you going to do?"

Roxas hesitated. "I'm gonna take a guess and say you're not asking what my plans for the day are."

"Roxas, we both know what will happen if things get serious between them," Kairi said.

Roxas sighed. "I know, but as much of a sleaze ball Seifer is, Namine would never…" He stopped. He didn't even want to think about what might happen.

"It isn't Namine who I don't trust," Kairi said. "Roxas…I know you've been in love with my sister for three years now."

Roxas was shocked. "You…you do?"

He could almost hear Kairi's smirk as she replied, "Come _on_, man! It's way too obvious! I'm surprised she hasn't figured it out herself. Besides, you know you can't hide anything from me."

It was true. Roxas never has been able to hide anything from his red-headed best friend. Even in the sixth grade when he put a worm in the teacher's coffee after the teacher yelled at him for falling asleep in class, calling him a stupid, disobedient child. Kairi found out about this and laughed along with Roxas.

"Roxas, I just don't want to see my sister get hurt," Kairi continued. "I'd _much_ rather see her with you than that scumbag Seifer. Of course…I'd rather you be with…" she trailed off.

After a moment of silence, Roxas cleared his throat. "Kai? You there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. Anyway, I gotta. I'll see you tomorrow!" she said in a rush.

The call ended before Roxas had a chance to say 'bye.' He closed his phone and stared at it with one raised eyebrow. "Weird."

"Hey, Rox, you home?" Sora called as he walked through the front door.

"In here!" Roxas called back, glad that he wasn't alone anymore.

Sora walked into his brother's room and saw the pile of finished homework lying on the floor. His eyes widened. "Oh. My. God. Who are you and what have you done with Roxas?!"

Roxas stuck his tongue out childishly at Sora, who grinned at his younger twin's action. Although Sora was older by about five minutes, he usually acted younger and slightly immature. There wasn't much of a difference between them, physically at least. They both had the same pale face and sky blue eyes, but their hair was different. Sora had big, spiky, brown hair, and Roxas had short, spiky, blond hair.

Sora looked over at Roxas' guitar. "You've been playing?"

Roxas scratched his head. "Yeah, a little. I kind of started a new song."

Sora beamed. "Really? Can I hear it?"

Roxas smirked. "It's not finished yet. I'll let you hear it when I'm done."

Sora pouted. "Aw, fine. But I'll hold you to your word! Anyway, I have to get ready for soccer practice."

"Alright. Have fun with Riku," Roxas said.

A tint of red stained Sora's face. He quickly left the room without another word. Roxas grinned. He loved teasing Sora about his crush. Not that he had a problem with his brother being gay. He just loved to mess around with him once in a while.


	2. Chapter 2: Date Disaster

**Beautiful Soul**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters in this story. I do, however, own the mind that came up with the plot of this fan fic. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: Date Disaster**

The week went by pretty uneventfully. As Saturday approached, Seifer had started flirting with Namine more. Roxas, watching all this, just had to grin and bear it. After all, it was his fault for not making a move earlier.

"Hey Roxas," Kairi had spoken to him on Thursday. "Since you and I aren't really doing anything this weekend, do you wanna hang out?"

"Sure, okay," Roxas had replied.

So now it was Saturday and Roxas was sitting at home, waiting for Kairi to come over. He practically sprinted to the door when he heard the doorbell ring.

"Hey Kai!" Roxas said as he opened the door.

Kairi smiled. "Hi Roxas."

For the next hour or so, Roxas and Kairi watched a movie. It was an old one they had already seen: Robin Hood, the Disney version. Even though they were both already in their junior year of high school, they both knew they would never get tired of the timeless Disney classics.

They both reached for the bowl of popcorn sitting in between them at the same time, accidentally brushing their hands against each other. The two pulled back in surprise and looked at each other. Even though they had the light off, Roxas thought he saw Kairi blush and smile.

"Ah…sorry. Here," Roxas said as he handed the bowl to her.

"Thanks," Kairi replied. She took a handful and handed the bowl back to him. She looked at the clock on the VCR. 7:00 pm. Suddenly, an evil thought bubbled up in her mind and she grinned. "Hey, Namine should be on her date by now."

Roxas clinched his fist and closed his eyes tight. Why did she have to remind him? "Yeah…what's your point?"

Kairi's grin widened. "Wanna spy on them?"

Roxas blinked, wondering if he had heard that right. "W-What?! You…I…w-we shouldn't do that."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "You act as if I just asked you to have sex with me. Come on! It'll be fun!"

Roxas blushed at that first part. "I-I don't know…"

Kairi looked him in the eyes and spoke to him seriously. "Do you really want to leave those two _alone_?"

That was all the convincing he needed. Roxas turned off the TV, grabbed Kairi's hand, and they rushed out the door. They took his motorcycle, Kairi in the back. She wrapped her slender arms around his waist and held on tight as they rode off.

"So, any idea where they might be?" Roxas asked loud enough for Kairi to hear.

"She mentioned something about a restaurant called _Tila's_," she replied.

"_Tila's_…I've heard of it. My mom used to work there. Let's go!" Roxas sped up a little. They were on the freeway and, surprisingly, it was pretty empty. No cops in sight.

Kairi shouted in joy as they went faster down the road. She loved riding fast with Roxas. She remembered the first time they rode together on his bike. She was so scared, but now it thrilled her to share this experience with him. It was one of the reasons she…

They came to a stop when they were outside of _Tila's_. Roxas parked his bike in the back of the nearly filled up parking lot. It was an odd feeling, spying on the girl you love while she's on a date with the guy you hate. Roxas felt a twinge of guilt, along with the feeling of being a stalker.

"Come on, let's go!" Kairi said, grabbing Roxas' hand and pulling him toward the restaurant.

They hid behind a bush, searching through the branches for any sign of the blond-haired angel and the son of a bit-er…'_handsome prince'_, as he's been known as by half the girls at Destiny High. Roxas then noticed that Kairi was still holding his hand. He blushed.

"Uh, Kai?" He kept his voice low.

"Hm?" She looked at him quizzically, then down at their intertwined fingers. She blushed and let go. "Sorry."

Roxas turned his head back through the bushes and caught sight of what they'd been looking for. "Look!"

There, sitting at the back of the large, outside patio, were Namine and Seifer. Namine was absolutely _beautiful._ She wore a black spaghetti strap shirt, a pink miniskirt, golden heart-shaped earrings, a silver bracelet on her left wrist, and high heels. Seifer, on the other hand, hadn't really dressed up at all. He still looked like a wannabe, douche bag _gangster_, wearing his usual baggy, gray pants, a white jacket and black undershirt, and a blue beanie to top it all off.

They seemed to be talking about a very interesting topic, because Namine was laughing and Seifer had that smug look on his face whenever he was bragging about something he did. Roxas winced. He wished that it was him sitting there in Seifer's place.

"I can't hear a thing," Kairi said. "I'm moving closer." She brushed passed Roxas toward a brick wall.

"Kai, wait!" Roxas said as he followed her hesitantly.

They moved behind a low brick wall without being seen by anyone, feeling much like ninjas as they did. They were now close enough to hear the _couple's _conversation.

"…and then I was like, 'Hey Fuu, can you explain this to him—oh, wait, no you can't!'" Seifer was saying.

Namine laughed. It was so fake. Roxas could tell when she was laughing out of joy, pity, or just out of nervousness. This laugh was a mixture of the last two. She seemed to be a little uncomfortable.

"Well, last week I was at the mall with Kairi, and this guy just—"

"So then Rai comes up to me and says 'Dude, you just _served_ that guy!' along with that stupid 'ya know?' catchphrase at the end," Seifer said, cutting Namine off in mid-sentence.

Roxas was grinding his teeth. Who did Seifer think he was—cutting off Namine? If it was him instead of that ungrateful jerk, he would have listened to every word she had to say, as if it were his own personal treasure. He kept listening….

"Hey, babe, why don't you say we ditch this joint and go take a walk?" Seifer asked.

"…Sure." Roxas could hear the stress in Namine's voice. Could he blame her? Any girl would be annoyed if their date called them 'babe' on the first date. Not that it wasn't an extremely cheesy and overrated nickname to begin with. Plus, Roxas was sure Seifer had been ignoring every word she'd said since they got here.

Namine and Seifer got up to leave. Roxas and Kairi quickly ducked around the corner out of sight. They watched as Seifer got into the car without even bothering to open the door for her first. Namine followed, and they drove off.

Kairi sighed. "Well, he sure was _charming_ wasn't he?" Sarcasm and venom rolling off her tongue with every word. "It's getting late. I guess we should go home…"

"Kairi," Roxas started. "I think we should follow them."

Kairi cocked her head to the side, with one eyebrow raised. "Weren't you the one who was against this whole 'spying' thing to begin with?"

"I know," Roxas replied. He narrowed his eyes in the direction they drove off. "But I don't like the way he said '_go take a walk_.'"

Kairi blinked, realizing what he was saying. She didn't have time to protest, nor did she want to, as Roxas pulled her to his bike. He kicked the engine to life and it roared fiercely. They drove even faster than before down the road, whizzing past cars and following the shiny, red Porsche to a nearby park. They parked behind some trees, out of sight, and followed Seifer and Namine.

_________________________

The cool night air washed over her face as Namine looked up at the stars. She wasn't happy. The date was going bad so far, and Seifer hardly paid attention to her. She wished she was somewhere else, with _someone_ else. That someone being a certain spiky-haired blond.

_Roxas…_she thought to herself, smiling as an image of the blond entered her mind. He was nice, somewhat shy, cared deeply for his friends, and was very gentleman-like when it came to girls…nothing like _Seifer_. She usually only saw him when he was with Kairi. Those two were so close…. She wished that _she_ was that close with Roxas. But he and Kairi….

Namine sighed. _It could never work between us. He obviously likes Kairi…._The only reason she agreed to go on this date was because thought Roxas liked her sister. After all, he never really showed any interest in her.

"What? Not enjoying yourself?" Seifer asked, his hands behind his back, and a look of annoyance plastered on his face.

_Not at all, you jerk!_ "Of course I am!" Namine said with a forced smile.

Suddenly, there was only one set of footsteps. Seifer had stopped. He looked around, making sure that they were alone. He grinned. Namine instantly _loathed_ that grin.

"You sure? You really don't seem like you are…." He walked toward her slowly.

Namine backed away from him until she was up against a tree. Seifer grabbed her wrist. "Seifer?! What are you—"

Seifer smashed his lips against hers, grabbing her other wrist and holding her up against the tree. Namine's eyes widened. She struggled to break free, but Seifer was stronger. Her wrists were in pain. He was holding them so tight, she thought they might break. He brought her wrists together above her and held them both with one hand, sliding his free hand up her shirt to cup her breast and massage it roughly. Namine screamed into his mouth. There was no pleasure. Only pain.

_Please…somebody…anybody…help me!_ Namine thought desperately.

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER!!!" a new voice shouted. Namine recognized that voice. She would know it anywhere.

_Roxas!_

Seifer just barely had time to look in the direction of the voice before a hard fist connected with his jaw, sending him flying into the ground, dirt smearing his _perfect little face_. He wiped his mouth, looking down at the dark red liquid on his hands. _Blood?!_ No one had _ever_ made him bleed before. No one. He glared up at the blond-haired boy in front of him. "What the hell?!"

Roxas stared down at him, cold fury lighting up his eyes. He tossed a pair of keys to Kairi, who stood a few feet behind him, holding her sister close. "Kairi, get Namine out of here. I'll catch up later."

Kairi nodded and started running with Namine to the parking lot. She wondered what it was exactly that Roxas was planning on doing to Seifer, but she figured it was something he didn't want either of them to see. Especially not Namine.

Roxas kept his cold stare locked onto Seifer, challenging him. The sides of his mouth curved up into a sadistic grin. He'd been waiting for this. Waiting for the day that Seifer would finally make him snap. And now he was going to have some _goooood_ fun.

_________________________

Kairi drove as fast as the old hunk of metal would take her. She was worried about Roxas; worried about Namine; worried about what might have, no, _would_ have happened if they hadn't shown up. But right now she had to focus on getting her sister home, where she would be safe.

Namine had a thousand thoughts running through her mind at the moment. What just happened? Why did Seifer kiss her? Why did he try to rape her? Why didn't she see this coming? Why did she go out with him in the first place? _Why were Roxas and Kairi there?_

Her grip on Kairi's waist tightened. She just wanted to forget tonight ever happened. But she knew it wouldn't be that simple. She knew this would leave a permanent scar on her. And she knew that if Roxas got hurt because of her, she would never forgive herself.

_________________________

"Argh!" Seifer screamed as Roxas punched him in the gut, making him double over, and then kneed him in the face. He was sure his nose was broken.

Roxas grabbed him by the throat and held him up against a tree, slowly raising him higher, scraping his back against the sharp bark, making him _bleed_. He glared up at the squirming bastard as Seifer struggled to break free. He was happy to see the prick getting what he deserved.

"If you _ever_ touch her again…" Roxas moved closer so that he could whisper the words, "…I'll kill you. I'll _fucking_ kill you."

"Really? You should try it sometime," Seifer replied. "Her boobs were so soft—"

Roxas slammed Seifer's head back into the tree. He could have sworn he heard a crack, whether it be the tree bark, Seifer's skull, or both.

"Just for the record, I never did like you," Roxas said, bored.

Seifer smirked. The bastard fucking _smirked_, even though he was in this situation. Even though within seconds, the air would leave his lungs completely, and the light would fade away from his world. "The feeling's mutual."

Roxas didn't see the light from the moon gleaming off something in Seifer's hand. A knife. When did the bastard pull a knife? Roxas didn't have time to react. Seifer slashed the blade across his chest, forcing him to drop him and stumble back. Roxas clutched his chest in pain, while Seifer gasped greedily for air. Both boys stared at each other, hatred burning in their eyes. Both wanted to see the other dead.

Suddenly, sirens were blaring in the distance. Red and blue flashing lights could be seen coming down the road. The cops.

Seifer looked in the direction of the oncoming cop cars, then back to Roxas. He glared at him. "We'll finish this some other time, loser!" And then he got up and started running.

Roxas didn't want to let him escape. He didn't want the bastard to get away with touching Namine, even though he did get his ass handed to him afterwards. It just didn't seem like enough. But he knew that if he started chasing down Seifer now, the cops would see him, and probably arrest him. So he would live to fight another day.

Roxas, still holding his chest, ran off into the trees, taking the long way back to Kairi's house. It would take him a good half hour to get there, but he liked that idea better than walking through crowds of people, all gasping and wondering what the hell just happened. Oh, _that_ would be a fun story to tell.

_So, Roxas, how did you get slashed across the chest?_ Roxas thought to himself. _Oh, I was just having a fist fight with some guy from school, in a park, at night. No biggie._

But he had to admit, it would leave a pretty awesome scar. He wondered idly if Namine thought scars were cool. He then laughed at himself. Here he was, wounded and losing blood, and he was thinking about a girl. No, not just any girl. Namine was _much_ different from all the other girls at school. No one could even compare.


	3. Chapter 3: Hospital Rooms and Secrets

**Beautiful Soul**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters in this story. I do, however, own the mind that came up with the plot of this fan fic. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Hospital Rooms and Secrets**

_Where is he? I hope he's all right. What if he's…_ "No!" Namine fell to the floor in her room, tears falling from her eyes.

Kairi rushed into her sister's room. "Namine? What's wrong?!" She saw her sister on the floor and rushed over to her. She wrapped her arms around the petit blond and held her close.

"'What's wrong'?" Namine repeated. "What's wrong is that Roxas isn't back yet! He's not here…safe…with me…."

Kairi held her sister tighter. She was worried, too. "Shh…it's going to be okay. Roxas is fine. He'll be here any minute."

Namine turned her face upward to meet her sister's gaze. "But what if he's hurt? What if he couldn't beat Seifer?"

Kairi smiled sadly. "Roxas is stronger than you think."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Kairi's and Namine's eyes widened. They rushed to the door as fast as their legs would carry them. When they opened the door, they nearly screamed. Roxas' shirt was torn, and there was blood everywhere. His once white t-shirt was now a sickening dark red. He smiled weakly at them, before collapsing in Kairi's arms.

They brought him to the couch. Namine took off his shirt while Kairi went to get a wet rag. The gash was deep. What did Seifer do to him?

As soon as Kairi brought the wet rag back to Namine, she ran back into the kitchen to call an ambulance. Namine wiped the blood away, silently cursing herself. If she hadn't agreed to go on this stupid date, Roxas wouldn't be…

"Namine…." It was Roxas. But he was still asleep. Was he dreaming about her?

Namine blushed. _Roxas_ was dreaming about _her_? Usually it was the other way around. She looked down at his well-toned chest and abs. _He always was the best in P.E.,_ she thought to herself. She wondered what it would be like to…_No! Bad Namine! Roxas is hurt, and all you can do is think perverted thoughts about him!_

"The ambulance will be here soon," Kairi said, rushing back into the room. "How is he doing?"

"He's fine. He's just sleeping," Namine replied. She couldn't help but smile. Despite the situation, Roxas looked so cute and peaceful when he slept.

_________________________

_What? Where am I?_ Roxas looked around. Everything was pitch black. Darkness. Everywhere.

"Roxas!" a voice called in the distance.

Roxas recognized the voice. "Namine? Namine! Where are you?"

"Over here, Roxas!" she replied.

Roxas turned toward the sound of the voice. He saw her standing in the distance. He rushed up to her, "Namine…." He smiled. Then he remembered the events with Seifer, and his eyes widened. "Namine, are you okay?!"

Namine nodded. "Yes. Thank you for saving me." She stepped closer to him and grabbed his hand looking down at it.

Roxas blushed. "W-Well I'm glad you're safe."

"Roxas," Namine said, looking up at him. "There's something I've been wanted to tell you for a long time."

Roxas' blush deepened. _Is she telling me…does she…is this for real? Please don't let this be a dream._ "W-What is it?"

Namine wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her heels, bringing her face closer to his. Her lips were just inches away from his now. And then she whispered the words…

"Wake up."

_________________________

Roxas' eyes shot open, bright light immediately flooding his sight. He shut them again, and this time he opened them slowly, letting his eyes adjust. He realized three things. One: he was lying in a bed. Two: he was in a hospital. And three: he wasn't alone.

There was a gasp. "He's awake!" Roxas recognized the voice as his brother, Sora's.

_Aw, damn it. How did he find out?_ Roxas thought.

Suddenly, there were many people around him. His friends and family. Kairi and Namine, both with dried tears running down their faces. Sora and Riku, both staring at him worriedly — Roxas noted that Riku's arm was wrapped around Sora's waist. And last of all, his mother, who was at his side immediately.

"Honey, I'm so glad you're alright!" Roxas' and Sora's mom, Maria, said. "I heard about the accident from Kairi and Namine. No more climbing trees! You could have been injured even worse!"

Roxas blinked and stared at her. He turned to Kairi, who gave him a look that said 'I'll tell you later.' He then looked down at his chest and saw that it was wrapped up in gauze. His mother must have been the one to fix him up. He felt a wave of emotion in knowing that his mother cared so much. She must have been so worried when she saw her son unconscious with a bloody gash across his chest.

"Well, I should get Sora home," Riku said. "He hasn't had any sleep for two days."

_Two days?_ Roxas thought. _Was I out that long?_

"I need to get to another patient, too," Maria said. She gave Roxas a smile before leaving the room.

Now it was just Roxas, Kairi and Namine. There was silence between them for several minutes before Namine finally spoke up.

"How did you guys know where I was?"

Roxas and Kairi stared at each other for a moment. Roxas spoke up first. "We followed you."

Namine blinked. "You were spying on me?"

"Not really spying…." Kairi said with a guilty look on her face. "More like…checking up on you."

Roxas sighed. "Just tell her, Kai."

"Tell me what?" Namine asked.

"We _were_ spying on you," Roxas said. "Kairi came over to my house and we were watching a movie. We were worried about you being with Seifer, so we decided to follow you on your date. We took my bike and followed you to _Tila's_. Kairi suggested we turn back because it was getting late, but I didn't trust Seifer. We followed you guys to the park, and when I saw him touch you…I…I just snapped."

Namine listened in awe. She wasn't mad because she was being followed. She was relieved that her friends really cared that much. Then one more question came to mind. "What happened between you and Seifer?"

Roxas couldn't help but grin at remembering the feeling of kicking that snob's ass. "Let's just say I made sure he wouldn't come near you again."

Namine and Kairi were slightly frightened by the look on Roxas' face. They wondered what horrors had occurred between him and Seifer that night.

"How did you get cut?" Kairi asked worriedly.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "The bastard pulled a knife on me. In a _fist_ fight, too! What a pansy."

The girls were even more concerned now. Roxas silently cursed himself for saying that. He didn't want them to worry.

"We told your mom that you, me, and Namine were hanging out in the park," Kairi said. "And that the wind came and blew Namine's hat into a tree. Then you climbed the tree to try and get it, but then you fell and a tree branch cut you."

Roxas blinked. He liked the _actual_ story better. It was cooler. But then he smiled. "Thanks Kairi."

Kairi stood and stretched. "Hey, Nami, I'm gonna go get some coffee. You want anything?"

Namine shook her head. Kairi winked at Roxas slyly, and then left the room. Roxas blinked. He and Namine sat there for a moment.

"So, uh, how are you feeling?" Roxas asked.

Namine blinked in surprise. She laughed a little. "You're the one laying in a hospital bed, wounded, and you're asking _me_ if I'm okay?"

Roxas smiled a little. "I'm just…worried about you. After what happened…" he trailed off.

"I'm fine. Or I will be…." Namine said. "I'm just glad you're all right. I'm more worried about you than myself."

Roxas tried to keep his heart beat at a normal pace. After all, he was hooked up to an EKG machine, and he didn't want to have to explain anything…yet.

"Roxas?"

"Yeah?" Roxas asked.

Namine stared down at the floor, strands of blond hair falling over her face. "Why…? Why did you go through so much…for me?"

_Because I love you more than life itself_, Roxas wanted to say, but it came out like this: "Because you're my friend. I care about you."

Namine smiled up at him. She had a slightly disappointed look on her face. Roxas blinked. Wasn't that what she wanted to hear?

She moved closer to him. Her face merely inches away from his. Roxas' heart beat was going crazy. He hoped she wouldn't notice the rapid beeps of the EKG machine.

Namine smiled and closed her eyes. "Thank you…Roxas." She placed her lips to his cheek and left a chaste kiss before pulling back.

Roxas' mind was in a haze. He felt dizzy…and extremely happy. Namine…actually _kissed _him. Well, not on the lips, but she _kissed_ him nevertheless. It was probably one of the happiest moments of his life.

Kairi returned a moment later and saw the dark red faces of both Roxas and Namine. She grinned, knowing what probably just went on while she was away. She felt happy for her sister…and a little sad at the same time.

"Oh, hey Kairi," Namine said with an embarrassed smile.

"Hey you guys," Kairi said. "I bought some snacks, just in case you guys got hungry later." She had her hands filled with bags of chips.

Roxas' stomach rumbled at the thought of food. He hadn't eaten in two days. He smiled sheepishly at Kairi.

Kairi rolled her eyes and grinned. She tossed him a bag of Doritos.

"Thanks Kai," Roxas said as he tore into the Doritos.

Kairi handed Namine some Fritos and took a sip of her coffee. Just then, Maria walked back into the room with a smile on her face.

"Good news Honey. You can go home today. Your wound is mostly healed. You just need to stay here for about an hour more."

Roxas smiled. "Thanks Mom." He then remembered what day it was — Monday. He groaned. He turned to Kairi. "Hey, what did I miss in school today?"

Kairi grinned. "Don't worry, I took care of it. All there was was some homework in Math and English."

"You took care of it?" Roxas asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I told Miss Juno and Mr. Khalil about your 'accident.' They felt sorry for you and gave you automatic A's," Kairi said.

Roxas smiled. "Thanks."

About an hour later, Roxas and his mom drove home. Kairi and Namine had stayed with him until he left, and then they drove home, too.

_Kairi must have gone back and gotten her car over the weekend,_ Roxas thought.

When they got back to the house, Maria told Roxas she had to get back to the hospital, but that she would be back later. She also warned him that if he tried to do anything wild or reckless while he was still healing, she'd ground him for two months. So Roxas just nodded and went back to his room.

As he walked toward his room, he passed by Sora's room. The door was open.

"Roxas," Sora called in a tired voice. He was still awake, sitting up on his bed with his legs crossed.

Roxas stopped and stared at him. "Sora? What are you doing up? I thought you were going to sleep."

"Sit down," Sora said.

Roxas hesitated at first, but did as he was told, sitting in front of Sora. They were silent for a moment until Sora spoke up.

"What _really_ happened?" he asked.

Roxas gulped. "I fell out of a tree and—"

"Mom might believe that lie, but I won't fall for it," Sora said sharply.

Roxas winced from his brother's tone of voice. He sighed. Sora wouldn't drop this until he had the truth. "Okay, but you have to _promise_ this will just be between you and me. Mom can _never _know."

Sora nodded, waiting for Roxas to continue. So Roxas told him everything that happened. Sora listened intently as Roxas explained how he and Kairi spied on Namine, witnessed Seifer attempt to rape her, how Roxas beat the living hell out of him, and how Seifer pulled a knife on him. By the end of the story, Sora was wide-eyed. He just couldn't believe all that happened to his beloved little brother.

"So that's what really happened," Roxas finished.

"Oh my God…I'm so sorry, Rox!" Sora lunged at Roxas and held onto him, pulling him into a tight embrace. "I should have been there for you! I would've _killed_ that guy for hurting you!"

Roxas winced. "Ugh…Sora…chest…hurts…"

Sora let go immediately. "Oh, sorry!" He laughed sheepishly.

Roxas rolled his eyes and smiled at his childish brother. "Go to sleep, you knucklehead. You look like you're about to pass out."

Sora yawned and nodded. "Alright, night-night, Rox," he said through half-lidded eyes before falling back onto his pillow and letting sleep take over.

Roxas pulled the sheets up over his brother and walked to the door. "Goodnight, Sora." He flipped off the lights and closed the door.


	4. Chapter 4: Mission, Cheer Up Namine

**Beautiful Soul**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters in this story. I do, however, own the mind that came up with the plot of this fan fic. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Mission, "Cheer Up Namine"**

By Wednesday, everyone in school had heard of Roxas' 'tree climbing' accident. Even Selphie, who didn't really like Roxas all that much, was worried about him. Seifer didn't come to school on Tuesday or today.

"I wonder why Seifer wasn't here today," Selphie said as she, Kairi and Roxas walked together to their next class.

Roxas and Kairi gave each other a knowing look. Suddenly, they stopped when they saw Namine leaning up against her locker, a tired and saddened look plastered on her face. They walked up to her.

"Hey Nami," Kairi said in a cheery voice. "What's up?"

Namine looked up at her with a sad, yet surprised look. She clearly hadn't been expecting anyone to talk to her. "Oh…hi you guys."

The look on Namine's face pained Roxas more than the knife did when he got cut. He hated seeing her like this. He wanted to just hold her, run his fingers through her hair, look into her deep blue eyes and tell her how much he loved her. But he held back and just asked: "What's wrong?"

Namine looked at Roxas and smiled weakly. She might have told him the real reason, that she still felt extremely guilty for Roxas' injury, but Selphie was there, and she didn't want to talk about what happened.

"It's nothing you guys. Don't worry. I'm just a little upset because I got a bad grade on my homework," she lied.

Roxas could tell she was lying, but didn't push the matter further. He shrugged and said, "Okay, well, do you wanna hang out with us after school?"

Namine shook her head. "Sorry. I have a lot of homework to finish." Another lie. "Maybe some other time."

Roxas frowned. "Okay. Well, see ya later then."

Namine watched as Roxas, Kairi and Selphie all walked off to their next class. She sighed. Why couldn't she just cheer up? All that business with Seifer was over now. So why did she feel so empty? No, she knew why. It was more than just guilt for what happened to Roxas. It was because she wanted to _be_ with Roxas, and she wasn't. She wanted him to hold her, kiss her, and tell her that he loved her. But she knew he never would. He loved Kairi…didn't he?

After school, Roxas and Kairi were sitting on a brick wall, waiting for Namine to get out of class. While sitting there, they were also wondering how to cheer the petit blond up. And what was wrong with her anyway?

"You think she's still upset about what happened with Seifer?" Roxas suggested.

Kairi nodded. "That must be it. Poor girl. That must have been a traumatizing experience."

Roxas gritted his teeth. "I wish I would've kicked the guy's ass more before the cops came."

Kairi blinked. "The cops came?"

Roxas mentally slapped himself. Oh well. At least Namine was still oblivious to the story. "Yeah. After we fought for a while, I had Seifer up against a tree, choking him. He cut me, and then we heard the cops coming. He ran off, saying 'We'll finish this some other time, loser!' and then I took the long way back to your house to avoid people."

Kairi gasped. "Oh my God! Why didn't you tell me earlier? That explains…"

"Explains what?" Roxas asked.

Kairi hesitated. "Well, my dad got a call from someone saying that they heard a lot of noises, like someone was fighting, coming from the park."

Roxas gulped. Kairi's and Namine's dad was a cop. He usually went on parole every night around town. He was a nice guy who looked _really_ young for being in his mid-forties. Seriously, he could pass for being twenty five. He was tall, around 5' 11", with short, blond hair and blue eyes — that's where Namine got her looks from. He loved his family more than anything else in the world, and was more of a joker when he was around his friends and family. But when he was on duty, you did _not_ want to mess with him. Nor did you _ever_ want to make him angry. Roxas wondered what Mr. Oakwood would do if he found out that one of his daughters was almost raped. He shivered at the thought.

"So, what should we do to cheer Namine up?" Roxas asked, changing the subject.

Kairi thought for a moment. What's one thing Namine has always wanted…

_________________________

"_Daddy! Daddy!" a seven-year-old Namine shouted, looking up at her father. "I want him!"_

_Namine, Kairi and their father were in a pet-store, looking for a certain brand of food for their cat, Snickers, when Namine spotted a small puppy in a kennel. It was a golden lab. Its big, chocolate-brown eyes stared up at her in excitement. It was wagging it's tail in joy._

_Mr. Oakwood looked at the puppy, then back down at his daughter sadly. "I'm sorry, dear; I don't have enough money on me right now. Maybe some other time."_

_Namine frowned. She looked at the puppy, then back up at her dad. "It's okay, Daddy."_

_But even nine years after that, Namine still hadn't gotten the puppy she wanted._

_________________________

Kairi snapped her fingers, a light bulb turning on in her mind. "I've got it!"

"Mind sharing your idea with me?" Roxas asked.

Kairi grinned. "How much money do you have saved up?"

Roxas thought for a moment. He recently got fired from his summer-job working at Fate-Mart, and he spent a lot of money on the arcade. "Not much. Maybe a little over a hundred. Why?"

"Perfect!" Kairi said with a smile. "Combined with my money, that should be enough to buy Nami a puppy!"

Roxas blinked. "A…puppy?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, she's always wanted one, but Dad never took her to get one."

Roxas shrugged. "Okay, it's not like I have anything better to do with my money anyway. Do you know any good pet stores nearby?"

"Yeah, there's one just about a mile from here," Kairi replied.

"Alright, let's go there after you drop Namine off at home," Roxas said with a grin. Namine was going to love this!

After Kairi dropped Namine off at home, and Roxas went back to his house to drop off his stuff and get his money, Kairi drove over to his house to pick him up. They drove to a pet store called _Animal-City_. It was a large building. It was painted completely black on the outside, with a boarded-up window that must have been broken at some point.

Roxas raised an eyebrow as he stared up at the name of the store. "Hey Kai?"

"Yeah?" Kairi looked back at him, noticing he wasn't following her through the automatic doors.

"This place isn't affiliated with a place called _Raccoon-City_ is it?" Roxas asked.

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "No. Why?"

Roxas shrugged as he fell into step beside her. "Just making sure all the animals are _alive_ here."

Kairi blinked, but decided not to ask further. She and Roxas walked through the doors and looked around. An old lady at the counter smiled at them. Man, what a _tooth_.

"Hello there, dearies," she greeted them. "What can I help you with?"

Kairi walked up to the counter and smiled politely. "Excuse us ma'am. We were wondering if you had any golden lab puppies here?"

The old lady thought for a moment. "Ah, yes! I believe we have one more left, actually. A young female, about six months old."

Kairi and Roxas beamed. "That's perfect!" they said in unison.

The old lady the two seventeen-year-olds into a back room with many, surprisingly, healthy-looking animals. They saw a bunch of guinea pigs scurrying about in a cage. There were kittens nursing on their mother. There was even a colorful-looking parrot.

Kairi walked up to the parrot and smiled. "Polly wants a cracker?"

The parrot squawked loudly. "Little girl wants a bitch-smack?"

Kairi's mouth was in an 'o' shape. Roxas quickly dragged her along before she could take the bird out of its cage and strangle it.

They finally reached a kennel that held a cute, little golden lab in it. It had one chocolate-brown eye and one emerald-green eye. The heterochromatic puppy wagged its tail happily as it stared up at Roxas and Kairi. It barked in joy.

"Aw, she's so cute!" Kairi gushed.

"How much is she?" Roxas asked the old lady.

The old lady smiled warmly. "For a cute couple like you, she's only a hundred and fifty."

Roxas and Kairi blushed at the 'couple' comment. They handed over the money and took the puppy back to the car. The puppy sat in Roxas' lap, licking his face all over, as Kairi giggled and drove.

When they got back to Kairi's house, they wrapped a red bow with a card attached to it around the puppy's neck. They went up to Namine's room and knocked on the door.

"Kairi? Is that you?" Namine called from inside the room.

"Yeah, and Roxas is here with me," Kairi called back.

There was silence for a moment, and then footsteps shuffling towards the door. The knob twisted, and Namine opened the door. "What is—"

"Surprise!" Kairi and Roxas shouted as they held the puppy up to Namine's face.

To say Namine was shocked would be an understatement. Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe it. There in front of her was the cutest puppy she'd ever seen. It looked just like the one she'd seen as a little girl, with the exception of the two different colored eyes. She nearly burst into tears of joy.

"Y-You guys…got me a…puppy?" she asked.

Roxas frowned. "You don't like it?"

Namine shook her head. "No, no! I LOVE it! I just can't believe you guys actually did this for me."

Kairi smiled. "Anything for my little sis."

Namine took the puppy and held it in her arms, a huge smile growing on her face. The puppy stared up at her and then left a long, slobbery trail saliva on her face with its tongue. Namine couldn't help but laugh.

"Thank you guys so much!" she said.

"Roxas and I saw that you were upset, so we put together our money and got you a puppy," Kairi said. "I'm glad you like it."

Namine smiled. "I love it. Thank you!"

"So, what are you gonna name her?" Roxas asked.

Namine looked up into Roxas' sky-blue eyes. Inspiration for a name came from looking at him. "I'll call her Roxanne."

_________________________

**(A/N) Hope you guys liked Chapter 4! I won't be able to update for a couple days, cuz i'm going to a friend's house. But the next chapter will be good.**


	5. Chapter 5: Revenge

**Beautiful Soul**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters in this story. I do, however, own the mind that came up with the plot of this fan fic. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: Revenge**

It had been two weeks since Roxas and Kairi pitched in to get Namine a puppy. And with a little convincing, Mr. Oakwood had agreed to let Namine and Kairi keep the puppy, as long as they took care of it every day. Things were finally starting to get back to normal.

"Bye Roxas!" Namine said with a smile as she left to get in Kairi's car. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Bye Namine!" Roxas said with a grin.

He turned around and started walking toward his bike. Today was a good day for him. He got an A on his Math test. He, Kairi and Namine hung out _without_ Selphie — she was '_sick_' today — and he found a dollar lying on the floor. And best of all, that freak Seifer wasn't here again today — he hadn't come back to school since _that night_.

Roxas mounted his bike. He revved up the engine and drove off. The road he usually took home was blocked off, due to construction, so he took the freeway. Traffic was pretty bad this time around, and he was getting bored. He turned on the radio and turned it to a random station. A new song was starting.

_THROW UP YA RAWK FIST IF YA FEELIN' IT WHEN I DROP THIS!  
Show 'em how we blow this spot.  
Let's make it half the shocka with the body rock,  
till the party stops, it's time to take it up a notch,  
and keep it locked for all the headbanga's in the parkin' lot.  
Here we go if ya ready or not.  
No time to talk 'cause we on the clock,  
bringin da OH! OH! to your block  
let me show ya where we comin' from.  
It don't stop from Melrose to New York.  
Show me what ya got now…_

Roxas got off on an exit and turned onto a main street. His house was only about a mile from where he was now. That's when he noticed something odd. There was a car behind him that had been behind him since he first turned onto the freeway.

_All I know is what it did take to make this.  
All I am is what it will take to break this._

_All I know is what it did take to make this.  
All I am is what it will take to break this.  
Light it up now, light it up now._

The car seemed extremely familiar. It had clean, black wheels, a shiny hubcap, a clean, red coat of paint. It looked new. And then Roxas noticed what type of car it was. It was a…Porsche. A shiny, red Porsche. Roxas' eyes widened. _Seifer!_ And by the looks of things, he wasn't alone. Roxas could see in the mirror of his bike that Rai and Fuu, Seifer's little 'gang', were with him. They were following him.

_Stop runnin' me down.  
Keep runnin' around.  
I'm fakin' you out.  
Would ya just make it wat'cha want it to be?  
If I could find out what you're all about.  
I'm callin' you out._

_Would you just set me free?_

_Stop runnin' me down.  
Keep runnin' around.  
I'm fakin' you out.  
Would ya just make it wat'cha want it to be?  
If I could find out what you're all about.  
I'm callin' you out._

_Would you just set me free?_

So they were following him, huh? Roxas sped up, zigzagging between cars to make it harder for them to reach him. But Seifer wouldn't be tricked that easily. Soon, he was even closer to Roxas.

_Shit!_ Roxas swore in his mind. _They're getting closer. And my house is just a few blocks away. I can't let them know where I live._

He took another winding road that would lead them out of the city. Soon, Roxas was about another three miles from the exit of the city. Soon, he would lead them away from everyone he loved.

_All I know is what it did take to make this.  
All I am is what it will take to break this._

_All I know is what it did take to make this.  
All I am is what it will take to break this.  
Light it up now, light it up now._

Roxas turned down a narrow alley, only big enough for a motorcycle to fit through, hoping to escape them. Bad move! His bike screeched to a stop in front of a brick wall. Dead end.

Seifer stopped his car in front of the entrance of the alleyway, blocking off any chance of Roxas escaping. He opened the door and out popped him and his little crew of 'friends.' Now, Roxas knew he could beat Seifer on his own, but now the odds were against him. Rai was a big, muscular guy — easy for breaking some of Roxas' bones pretty quickly. And Fuu was a girl, and Roxas was against hitting girls, even if she was his enemy.

Seifer smirked. "Hey there, Roxy. Long time no see." Rai and Fuu fell into step beside him, just like loyal dogs.

Roxas glared at him. "Seifer. What do you want?"

Seifer gave Roxas a mock-hurt look. "Why Roxas, I'm hurt. I came all the way here just to see how my little buddy was doing, and _this_ is the reaction I get?"

Roxas laughed a little. "'Buddy'? Gee, you know, last time I checked, _buddies_ didn't pull out knives in a fist fight like a _pansy_, and try to kill their friend. Oh, and they also didn't wimp out and get their other _friends_ to gang up on their buddy."

Seifer glared at him. "What did you just call me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Roxas apologized. He cleared his throat. "I said: You. Are. A. _Pansy_. _Assed. Wimp._" Roxas knew it probably wasn't a very smart idea to be provoking his enemies when he was outnumbered, but he figured this was the end for him anyway, so what the hell, why not talk a little smack? His only regret would be that he couldn't tell Namine how much he loved her.

Seifer cocked his head toward Rai. "I think our old _friend_ here needs to be taught a lesson."

Rai cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, I'll make him pay, ya know!"

Roxas braced himself as Rai stepped closer. _Okay, if I just stay on my toes and pay close attention to his attacks, I should be able to dodge him._

_THROW UP YA RAWK FIST IF YA FEELIN IT WHEN I DROP THIS!  
That's the sound when the rock hits.  
OH! Never know I might let go! Get ready get set…_

Roxas dodged the first of Rai's attacks, running around him. Rai was a big guy, and very strong, but his weakness was speed. Roxas landed a blow on his backside, but it felt like he was hitting a ton of bricks. Rai smirked, obviously not affected by the blow. He brought his elbow back quickly, hitting Roxas in the face. Roxas stumbled back a few feet, feeling the pain in his cheek turn into a burning throb. Man, Rai could hit _hard!_

Fuu took this opportunity to grab Roxas from behind. She latched onto his arm and spun around, flipping him over her petit body. Roxas hit the ground hard. He'd forgotten all about the little, silver-haired girl. Fuu was a black belt in two different martial arts. He might actually have to fight her. Just as she was about to land a punch on him, he swept his feet under her legs, tripping her in the process. Roxas felt a twinge of guilt for hurting a girl, but she was asking for it.

Rai came charging at him, just as Roxas was getting up, and delivered a hard blow to his solar plexus, knocking the air out of him. Roxas tried to breathe, but no air would come. He clutched his stomach in pain, falling to the ground. He saw Rai smirking down at him.

"That's enough, Rai," Seifer said. "I want to handle the rest."

Rai frowned, but backed off as Seifer approached. He had his usual arrogant smirk plastered on his face as he looked down at the breathless boy. Roxas glared back up at him.

"So, Roxy, how does it feel to be defeated?" Seifer asked.

Roxas smirked. With air finally returning to his lungs, he replied hoarsely, "Shouldn't you already know the answer to that, _loser_?"

Seifer kicked Roxas in the gut, making the boy groan in pain, but Roxas didn't yell. He wouldn't give Seifer the satisfaction. "You know," Seifer said, mocking Roxas tone from their last fight. "I never did like you."

_THROW UP YA RAWK FIST IF YA FEELIN IT WHEN I DROP THIS!  
That's the sound when the rock hits  
OH! Never know I might let go! Get ready get set!  
That's the sound when the rock hits.  
That's the sound when the rock hits.  
That's the sound when the rock hits._

Roxas would have broken Seifer's nose a second time, if he could move. But the pain was so intense that all he could do was glare up at him. "I said I would kill you if you ever hurt Namine. And that wasn't a threat, it was a promise. Even if you kill me now, I'll find a way to protect her."

Seifer sniffled and wiped a fake tear away from his cheek. "How romantic. A boy, brave and chivalrous, willing to die for the one he loves." He smirked. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you. I'm just gonna make you wish you were dead. I'm gonna make you _live_ with the knowledge that soon I'm gonna hurt everyone you ever loved."

Seifer gestured to Rai, and the big guy came over. The last thing Roxas saw was Rai cocking his massive fist back and thrusting it toward his face. And then all went black.

_JUMP! JUMP! MAKE THE SOUND WHEN THE ROCK HITS!  
THROW UP YA RAWKFIST IF YA FEELIN IT WHEN I DROP THIS!_


	6. Chapter 6: Twilight Town

**Beautiful Soul**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters in this story. I do, however, own the mind that came up with the plot of this fan fic. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6: Twilight Town**

Mr. Oakwood walked down the large hallway leading toward his daughters' class. He was dressed in his police uniform and he had a frown on his face. When he finally reached the door, he turned the knob and walked in. He was greeted by many confused faces. A few whispers were heard from the back of the class.

"Hello Officer Oakwood," the Chemistry teacher greeted politely. She cocked her head to the side. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, I need to talk to my daughters about something serious," Mr. Oakwood replied.

The teacher nodded and gestured for the two sisters to leave class. They got up with confused faces and followed their father out of the room. They stood in front of him and saw the look on his face.

"Dad? What's wrong?" Kairi asked.

Mr. Oakwood sighed. He knew that what he was about to tell them would nearly kill them. "Girls…it's about Roxas."

Namine felt her heart stop. She swallowed hard. "What about Roxas?"

Kairi's face held an extremely worried expression. "Is he alright? He's not here today."

Mr. Oakwood tried to hide the pain and worry he was feeling. He didn't want his kids to worry even more. "Last night, we found Roxas' bike in an alley near the end of town…along with his blood." Namine and Kairi gasped. Mr. Oakwood continued. "We don't know where he is, but he never came home last night. We have a search team out for him. But for now, he's been labeled 'kidnapped.'"

Namine fell to her knees, Kairi right next to her. Mr. Oakwood kneeled down and wrapped his arms around his daughters. This kind of reaction was to be expected, but nothing could prepare any of them for the pain that hit next.

"Why…?" Namine choked out. She felt the tears sliding down her cheeks. "Who could have done this?"

Kairi was speechless. She just couldn't believe that her best friend was kidnapped. If she never saw that bright, shining face she loved again, it would be all too soon.

"Oh girls, I'm so sorry that this happened. But I swear I won't give up until I know where he is," Mr. Oakwood said.

Namine stared up at her father. She noticed how he said 'where he is' instead of 'that he's alive' and this just made her cry even more. She knew she should have told Roxas she loved him. Knew she should have kissed him on the lips that day in the hospital. Knew she couldn't go on living if Roxas wasn't alive in the same world as she was. But she wouldn't give up.

_Roxas…please be alive!_

_________________________

All was black. Roxas felt sore all over. He wasn't in as much pain as before, but it still hurt. _Am I…dead?_ He thought to himself.

"Wa…p…"

_No, I can't be. I wouldn't feel anything, would I?_

"Wak…p…!"

_Well, unless I'm in Hell. But was I really that big of a jerk to deserve Hell? What did I do?_

"Dude, hey, wake up!" a voice called called out.

Roxas felt water splash all over his face. His eyes shot open and he sat up. Big mistake. Pain shot all throughout his body and he fell back with a groan. He stared up at the faces of three teenagers. Two guys and a girl.

"Hayner! Let him rest!" the girl shouted as she smacked said boy on the back of the head.

"Geez, Olette! I'm just seeing if he's okay. You don't have to hit me!" the boy called Hayner shouted.

The other boy laughed. "You had it coming, Hayner."

Hayner rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Pence."

Hayner was a boy with blond, wavy-spiked hair, and brown eyes. He wore a gray, sleeveless jacket with the buttons undone, along with a black undershirt with a skull on it, and baggy, cargo, camouflage shorts.

Olette had brown hair that went down a little past her shoulders, and she kept the sides somewhat spiked outward. She wore an orange, sleeveless shirt with white flowers running down the front, along with tan shorts.

Pence was slightly overweight, had dark brown hair with a black headband around his head, and had light brown eyes. He wore a blue bandanna around his neck, a sleeveless basketball shirt that had a picture of a black dog jumping to grab some bones next to some big, white letters that said 'Dog Street'. He also had a long-sleeved, white undershirt under his basketball shirt, and baggy, blue jeans.

Olette walked up to Roxas and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. Hayner's a bit rash."

Roxas shook his head. "It's okay."

Pence walked up to Roxas and held out his hand. He grinned. "I'm Pence, and this is Olette. What's your name?"

Roxas hesitated for a moment, but shook Pence's hand. "Roxas."

Olette smiled. "Nice to meet you, Roxas."

Hayner crossed his arms and turned away. "Yeah, yeah, enough with the introduction. How do we know he's not a spy for DC?"

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "DC?" He blinked. "Am I in the ghetto?"

"'DC' stands for 'Disciplinary Committee,'" Hayner replied. He stared at Roxas questioningly. "But you might already know that."

Roxas stared blankly at him. "I don't even know where the hell I am, and you think I know about this 'Disciplinary Committee?"

"You don't know where you are?" Pence asked.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Olette asked.

Roxas shook his head. "No, I'm from Destiny City."

Pence grinned. "Well, you're in Twilight Town now!"

"Yes, welcome to Hell," Hayner said as he took a seat on a green couch lying up against the brick wall.

Roxas hadn't noticed it before, but he was in a sort of back alley that was large and decorated so that it looked like a house. There was a green couch, lots of posters on the walls, a few chairs, a dart board, and a table.

"And this," Hayner said, gesturing to the 'house' around them, "is the 'Usual Spot.'"

"So, _now_ are you convinced he's not with DC?" Pence asked.

Hayner waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah." He turned to Roxas and grinned. "Sorry about that. Gotta make sure you're not an enemy and all."

"That's understandable," Roxas said with a small grin of his own.

"So…" Olette started. "What happened to you?"

"Huh?" Roxas replied.

"Yeah, man, we saw some guys drop you off in an alley near here last night," Pence said. "You were beaten half to death when we got to you."

Memories of last night's events came flooding back to Roxas. He saw Seifer's arrogant smirk, and he heard the last words that bastard said…

_I'm gonna make you_live_with the knowledge that soon I'm gonna hurt everyone you ever loved._

Roxas clinched his fist. "I was ambushed on my way home from school. This guy named Seifer, and his little gang of friends, trapped me in an alley. He wanted revenge for the last time we fought. He had tried to rape my friend, so I beat the crap out of him." Roxas smirked a little, remembering the feeling of joy he got from knocking Seifer around. "So anyway, he and his friends trapped me and knocked me out. They must have dumped me off here right after."

"Man, that sucks," Pence said.

"How dare he do that to you!" Olette said. "What a jerk."

"Hm, so this Seifer guy…I'm guessing you and he never really got along?" Hayner asked.

"You could say that," Roxas replied. "He and I have been enemies since freshman year."

"So, you beat up your enemy for hurting your friend, then he beat you up out of spite, correct?" Hayner asked.

Roxas nodded. "I need to get back as soon as possible. He might try to hurt more of the people I love. Hey, do any of you have a car?"

Hayner shrugged. "I do, but it's been in the shop for weeks. The repairman says there's a vital part missing, and I would need to pay a lot more money than I have in order to get it."

Roxas sighed. "Well, thanks anyway." An idea then popped up in his mind. "Hey, what about your parents? Could they give me a ride back to the city?"

Olette, Pence and Hayner stared down at the floor as they answered at the same time. "They're dead."

Roxas felt guilt for asking his question. "Oh…I'm sorry."

Olette looked up at him and smiled. "It's okay. We're used to being orphans. We just live here, and there are plenty of open jobs to get money to live on around here, so life's not so bad."

That lightened Roxas' mood a little. "Well that's good. So, Hayner, how much money do you need, exactly?"

"About a thousand bucks," he replied blankly.

Roxas eyes widened. "Wow. That's one expensive car part." He wished he knew where his bike was. Seifer and his gang probably smashed that up, too.

"Hey, wait, the Struggle Tournament's coming up soon, isn't it?" Pence asked.

The room went silent for a moment. Hayner jumped up off the couch and grinned. "Pence, you're a genius!"

"Struggle Tournament?" Roxas asked.

"It's a big fighting contest that anyone can compete in," Olette explained. "You use a wooden sword to try to knock small, colored, foamy balls off the opponent's vest. The person with the most balls at the end wins."

"Okay, so how is that going to help anything?" Roxas asked.

"The prize money is three thousand bucks, man!" Hayner said. "With that, we could get my car fixed, and then get you back to Destiny City."

Roxas nearly jumped up in excitement, but decided against that idea because of the pain it caused him last time. "Okay, so when is it?"

"Three days from now," Hayner said. "You any good at swordplay?"

Roxas thought back to when he was a little kid. He and Sora used to fight with sticks sometimes, but that was about it. "Not that good, but I know how."

Hayner clasped his hands together. "Alright, so I've got three days to train you with a wooden sword."

"Well, let him rest for today," Olette said. "You can start tomorrow."

Hayner sat back down on the couch and grumbled. "Fine. But hurry up and heal."

Roxas smiled a little. He could see himself becoming good friends with these people in the future. He felt tired, even though he had already slept for a while. He felt his eyelids slowly closing as sleep took over once more.


	7. Chapter 7: Confessions

**Beautiful Soul**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters in this story. I do, however, own the mind that came up with the plot of this fan fic. Enjoy!**

**(A/N) Since there's yaoi in this story, I also decided to put some yuri in this chapter. Hey, can't have Yin without Yang. Again, if you don't like, don't read. Of course, if you've been reading it with yaoi up to this point, and don't have a problem with it, I doubt you'll mind a little yuri, otherwise you're a hypocrite. Oh, by the way, this is an extra long chapter. Anyway, enjoy chapter 7!**

**Chapter 7: Confessions**

Kairi walked through the empty halls of the school. Everyone else was eating lunch in the cafeteria. Kairi wasn't hungry, and she had too many thoughts on her mind to eat anyway. Namine hadn't even showed up today. She was too depressed to come to school.

_Roxas…where are you? _Kairi thought to herself as she leaned up against her locker. _Are you okay? I miss you. Namine misses you. We all do. Who could have taken you?_

She sighed. Thinking of Roxas only made the ache in her heart grow more painful. Feeling tears start to well up in her eyes, she headed towards the restroom. When she got there, she went to a stall and locked the door, falling to the ground. She wrapped her arms around her knees and started to shake as the tears streamed down her face. She sobbed quietly for a few minutes before she heard footsteps approaching. There was a light knock on the stall door.

"Kairi? Is that you?" It was Selphie.

Kairi quickly wiped the tears from her face. She thought she was alone in here. "Y-Yeah. Hold on." She unlocked the stall door and there Selphie stood, a look of worry on her face.

"Are you okay?" Selphie asked.

Kairi sniffled a little and wiped one last tear from her face. "I just can't stop thinking about him."

Selphie pulled her into a gently, comforting embrace. "Oh, Kairi, I know it's hard. I'm sorry."

Kairi clutched onto Selphie's shirt. She felt tears starting to come back. "But what if he's hurt? What if he's…?"

"Shh," Selphie whispered gently to her friend. "Roxas and I may not have always got along, but I've known him long enough to know he's stronger than that. I'm sure he's fine. The police are searching everywhere for him. Trust me, they'll find him soon enough, and then everything will be back to the way it used to be."

Kairi stared up at her friend's reassuring smile. She found herself smiling, too. "Thanks, Selph."

"No problem," Selphie said with a smile. "Now, come on, let's get you fixed up. You look like a train wreck."

Kairi giggled a little. "Yeah, I bet I do."

They walked over to the sink. Kairi turned on the faucet and watched the water flow for a moment. She splashed her face a little and looked at her reflection in the mirror while Sephie fixed her hair. As she stared, she noticed the dark shadows under her eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep in the past two days. Thoughts of Roxas turned her into somewhat of an insomniac. When she was done getting washed up, Kairi headed back out the door, followed by Selphie.

"You coming back to class?" Selphie asked.

Kairi shook her head. "No. I think I'll just head home early today. Can you tell Mr. Khalil I felt sick and went home?"

Selphie nodded. "Sure. I hope you feel better soon." With that, she waved goodbye and rushed off to the next class.

Kairi sighed and clutched her green book bag tight. She started for the door. When she was outside, a cool gust of wind blew past her face, knocking loose a few auburn strands of hair. She pushed them back behind one ear and headed for her car. Just as she was about to reach for her keys to unlock the door, she felt a hand grab her from behind. She was about to scream, but another hand, holding a sort of white cloth in it, came up to her mouth and nose. She tried to scream and wiggle free, but the scent of whatever was on the cloth was sickening sweet. It made her drowsy. Her vision was going blurry and she felt the energy drain from her body. Her eyelids drooped. She couldn't keep them open anymore. And then she blacked out.

Kairi awoke in a haze. She was still tired, and she couldn't form any coherent thoughts yet. She looked around. She was in some sort of warehouse. There were piles of metal boxes everywhere. A few bright lights hung above her, one of which was flickering. She noticed three dark silhouettes in front of her. One was tall and muscular, a man. Another was shorter, but had a masculine figure to him. The last was the shortest, with shoulder-length hair and a petit, feminine figure. As Kairi's vision cleared more, she recognized them as Seifer and his friends, Rai and Fuu.

"Well, well, well, looks like she's awake," Seifer said with an arrogant smirk.

Kairi tried to scream for help, but found the action impossible. Her mouth was covered with black tape, along with her arms and legs. She was tied to a chair. So instead, she just glared at Seifer.

Seifer walked over to her and kneeled down to her level. His smirk grew into a wide grin. "So, _Kairi _was it? Yeah, that's what good ol' Roxy always called you. You know, with all the things he said about you being strong, I thought you would've put up a better fight. But I didn't even have to get my hands dirty like I with Roxas." He suddenly ripped the tape off her mouth rather harshly.

Kairi's eyes widened. "You bastard! It was you! You're the one who kidnapped him!"

Seifer brought his hand up and slapped her across the face. Kairi closed her mouth. She felt the burning sting on her cheek, but it lessoned after a few minutes.

"Now, let's talk without all the fuss about Blondy," Seifer said, the smirk back on his face. "So tell me Kairi, how long have you known Roxas?"

Kairi glared at him. She didn't answer, which earned her another slap across the face. She gritted her teeth. "Seven years."

Seifer whistled. "Sever years. Man, that's a long time. You must be close with him, huh? But just how close, I wonder?" Kairi looked down in shame, which gave Seifer a thought. "Whoa-ho! Could it be that you…love him?"

Kairi glared at him. "What's it to you, asshole?!" Another smack. Seifer was _really _pissing her off.

"I'm the one asking questions here, Kai," Seifer said.

"Don't call me that," Kairi said coldly.

Seifer blinked. "Call you what?"

"Kai," Kairi replied. "Only Roxas can call me that." The nickname that Roxas had given her back in seventh grade was precious to her. It was a sign of their friendship, and she wouldn't let it be defiled by the likes of a scumbag like Seifer.

Seifer shrugged. "Okay. I guess I can give you that."

"Why are you doing this?" Kairi asked, expecting another slap.

Instead of hitting her, Seifer simply replied, "For revenge."

"'Revenge'?" Kairi repeated.

Seifer smirked. "That's right. I'm not too fond of the fact that I was beaten by Roxas that night in the park. And you helped, you little bitch. So now, I'm gonna make you, Roxas, and soon that little sister of yours pay."

"Touch Namine and I'll tear you apart!" Kairi replied, fury and venom coating her voice.

Seifer rolled his eyes. "You and what army? Look at where you are now. You're in a warehouse, tied to a chair, and it's three against one. I highly doubt you're going anywhere."

Kairi gritted her teeth. She hated to admit it, but he was right, even if she could break out of her confines now, there were three teenagers who could stop her easily. A wave of defeat washed over her.

Seifer stood up and stretched. "Well, anyway, I've got someone here who wants to meet you. Poor girl. She's been watching you from afar, and yet you've never even noticed her."

"What are you talking about?" Kairi asked, glaring up at the wannabe gangster.

Seifer snapped his fingers and Fuu came forward, a shy little blush tinted on her face. She stared at Kairi through her one visible red eye. The other eye was covered by silver hair.

"Hey," she said shyly.

"Fuu?" Kairi turned to Seifer. "What are you trying to pull now Seifer?"

"Oh it's no joke," Seifer replied. "She's been infatuated with you for a little over a year now. But I guess you've just been too busy longing for Roxas to notice her. Why, if it was me, my heart would be shattered." He moved his hand over his chest and faked a sad look.

Kairi continued to glare at him, but then turned her bluish-purple eyes to Fuu's red one. "Is this…true?"

Fuu's blush deepened. "Yes," she replied.

Kairi frowned. She felt mixed emotions now. She knew Fuu was her enemy, too, and she should hate her. But she couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. She tried to think of a nice way to turn her down. "Fuu…I…"

"Well, Fuu, she's all yours," Seifer said.

"What?" Kairi asked. She blinked.

Suddenly, Rai came over and picked her up, with the chair still attached. Kairi screamed as he brought her into a back room. It was darker in here, with only one light coming from some candles. Rai quickly left without a word.

_What kind of random, messed up, sex-addicted gang _is_ this?!_ Kairi thought. _Candles, kidnappings, a warehouse, and a girl I've never even talked to before being in love with me? What's next? Michael Jackson's gonna come break dancing through the roof?_

A few minutes later, Fuu walked in. Kairi's eyes widened at what she was wearing. She wore dark red lingerie, with a little bit of pink lipstick. The lingerie hugged the tight curves of her soft, pale skin. She had her hair pulled back behind both ears, revealing both of her red orbs.

"Fuu…" Kairi was speechless for a moment. The shy, little girl that always hung around Seifer was actually very beautiful.

"Good?" Fuu asked. Kairi knew what she was really asking. Did she look good?

"You look…amazing," Kairi said. She then snapped out of her trance and came back to reality. She turned her head away. "Fuu…I…I'm sorry. I can't give you what you want. My heart belongs to Roxas."

Fuu looked down sadly. "I know. But…I can't help but feel this way."

Kairi blinked. That was the longest sentence she'd ever heard the girl say before. Usually, Fuu would only say one or two words, and then expect people to understand what she was saying. But this was completely new.

"Kairi…what Seifer said…is true," Fuu continued. "I've felt this way for about a year now. And I know you and I have never really talked before, but I've kind of…been stalking you. I know that sounds weird…and creepy. But hear me out, please?"

Kairi was shocked, but nodded, urging her to continue.

"It happened when I first came to Destiny High," Fuu said. "Rai had told me about the school, and I was eager to join, since I got made fun of a lot at my old school. That's also when I stopped speaking. At my old school, people would always call me short, stupid, a loser, and other mean names. And when people found out I was a lesbian, it only got worse. So, in an attempt to escape, I came to Destiny High. I remember on my first day, I was being bullied by a few girls who didn't like the way I looked. And then I remember you passing by with your friends, overhearing what the girls were saying. You told them to stop — you had such confidence and bravery —and then the girls went away. You didn't say another word to me, but I knew from that moment, that I cared for you. You were the only person to have ever showed me kindness at any school I went to. Over time, my feelings for you grew stronger, and even though you never really noticed me, I found myself…falling in love with you."

By the time Fuu was finished, Kairi was wide-eyed. She never knew this girl felt this way about her. She felt so sorry for her. She felt like a bitch for putting her through this much pain. To never have your feelings noticed…Kairi knew the feeling well.

"Fuu…" Kairi started. Fuu looked up, tears starting to form in her eyes. Kairi's heart felt heavy with guilt. "I'm so sorry I never realized your feelings for me before. You're such a great person. I should've realized it sooner."

Fuu wiped a tear away and smiled. "It's okay. I'm glad that I finally got to tell you. Please don't be sorry." Fuu looked down, a feeling of guilt washing over her, and a look on her face to match it. "Kairi, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I really screwed up. I helped Seifer kidnap Roxas. I only did it because Seifer is my friend, and I don't have anyone else. Well, besides Rai, that is. I can't go back and change what I've done…but I can help you. Even If you never forgive me. Even if you hate me. I want to fix what I've done."

Kairi couldn't feel angry at the girl standing before her for some reason. She wanted to hate her, but she couldn't. It wasn't really her fault. It if was Kairi in her place, she might have done the same thing to avoid loneliness.

"Fuu, I'll be your friend. Forget Seifer. He's an asshole. But please, help me escape," Kairi said.

Fuu looked worried. "I…I don't know."

Kairi hated resorting to this, but she had no other choice. "Fuu…if you love someone, you don't keep them locked up like some sort of caged bird."

Fuu felt guilty now. She knew she should let Kairi go. But…she didn't want her to run away and leave her forever. She didn't want to be alone. But…Kairi did say she'd be her friend. And honestly, Seifer _was_ an asshole. Slowly, Fuu walked over to Kairi and placed her hands on either side of the armrests of the chair.

"Kiss me," she said simply.

Kairi blinked. Did she just hear that right? "W-What?"

"I know you don't love me. But…just one kiss, that's all I'm asking. I just want to know what it feels like," Fuu pleaded.

Kairi looked down a little. "I-I don't know if I can do that."

"What's wrong?" Fuu asked. "It's not your first kiss, is it?"

Kairi shook her head. She had kissed a boy back in freshman year. She still loved Roxas at the time, but she was trying to see if she could get over him. And failed at that miserably. And now Fuu was asking for a kiss. _It's just a kiss_, Kairi reminded herself.

"Okay," Kairi said.

Fuu smiled. It was a smile of pure joy. She blushed a little as she closed her eyes and leaned in slowly. Kairi closed her eyes and did the same. Finally their lips met and a light kiss. Kairi noted that the lipstick Fuu was wearing tasted like watermelons. Fuu, on the other hand, was lost in her own thoughts. She pushed a little harder into the kiss, wanting it to last. For some reason, Kairi found herself pushing into it, too.

_This is wrong,_ Kairi thought. _I love Roxas. It's Roxas I want to kiss. Right?_

But the kiss grew more heated. Fuu wrapped her arms around Kairi's neck. Kairi was still tied up, so she couldn't do anything. Fuu stuck her tongue out and licked at Kairi's lips, asking permission to enter. Kairi found herself willingly granting it, and their tongues wrestled for a little while. After a couple minutes or so — neither was really paying much attention to the time — they finally broke the kiss and stared at each other.

Fuu looked down a little and her blush deepened. "Okay…that's all I wanted. You can go now." She unwrapped the tape on Kairi's arms and legs.

Kairi stood up, glad to be free, but her mind was in a daze. She couldn't believe what a great kisser Fuu was. Her mind was completely off Roxas for the moment as she stared down at the petit girl. She wrapped her arms around Fuu and whispered in her ear, "Thank you."

Fuu was wide-eyed at the gentle embrace. Kairi let go and looked around. She spotted a window and some crates. Climbing the crates, she gave Fuu one last glance before leaving the building via the window.

_________________________

**(A/N) Alrighty then! So that was my sad attempt at some yuri action. Trust me, I didn't just do it for the hell of it. It'll add to the plot later…somehow. Anyway, school's coming up again and I have a boring-ass essay to finish for my English101 class. College is a bitch like that. So updates might get a little slower, but nothing too serious. This story is probably only going to have a few more chapters, but I'm gonna try not to rush it.**


	8. Chapter 8: The Struggle

**Beautiful Soul**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters in this story. I do, however, own the mind that came up with the plot of this fan fic. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8: The Struggle**

Kairi ran as fast she could. She hadn't realized how far away from home she was. There were at least two more miles left to go, and her lungs were burning. Her legs were growing weak. She started to slow to a fast walk, letting her body rest a little. That's when she realized something. In her haste, and possibly the fact that Fuu's kiss nearly wiped her mind completely, she forgot to ask Fuu where they took Roxas to.

_Damn it!_ Kairi thought as she slapped her forehead. _Damn it, damn it, damn it! How could something like my best friend's whereabouts have slipped my mind?_

Suddenly, she noticed bright lights coming up from behind her, approaching at high speed. She turned her head and her eyes widened. Seifer and Rai were chasing her again. Kairi felt her fear start to rise as she started to run once again, her heart and lungs burning in protest. And then the worst possible thing that could happen in the moment happened. She tripped. She held her hands out defensively in front of her as she fell to the hard concrete. She heard wheels stop beside her and a car door open.

Kairi looked up at the two annoyed boys. _No. Not again!_ She cried in her mind as she was grabbed, tied up and thrown in the back seat all over again.

_________________________

"Argh!" Roxas yelled as he was thrown to the ground again, defeated. His sword was flung across the battle field, or rather the Sand Lot, as he fell to the ground.

Hayner stood above him, a disappointed look on his face. He sighed. "How do you expect to beat the Struggle Tournament if you can't even beat me? It's been two days. The tournament's tomorrow."

Roxas got up and rubbed his head. He grinned a little. "I'm getting better at it though. Just wait. When the tournament comes up, I'm gonna breeze through it."

Hayner shrugged. "If you say so. But I want you to get to the finals with me. That way, we have a better chance of winning the prize money. You do want to get home, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Roxas said. He looked down a little. "I have to win. I have to get back to Namine."

Hayner gripped his wooden sword in a fighting stance. "Hey! No pouting! Winners don't let anything get them down!" He charged toward Roxas once again.

This time, Roxas was ready. He blocked off Hayner's assault and parried behind him. He was about to hit him from behind, but Hayner was just quick enough to bring his sword back and block the attack. They jumped away from each other for a moment, and then got right back into it. They exchanged blows for a while, until Roxas did something Hayner didn't expect. He grabbed one of his shoulders and used it to vault over Hayner's head, hitting him in the back of the head with the blunt side of the sword. Hayner fell to the ground, defeated. He looked up at Roxas, wide-eyed.

"Dude! That was awesome!" Hayner said.

Roxas grinned in triumph, holding his sword over his shoulder. "So, I can't beat you, huh?"

Hayner smirked. He got up and clasped his hands together, bowing like a dojo master. "You've learned well, young grasshopper. I have nothing else to teach you."

Roxas laughed and shook his head a little. That evening, as the sun was setting, Roxas, Hayner, Pence and Olette sat atop the large Clock Tower in the middle of town, eating sea-salt ice cream. As he watched the sunset casting a red and purple hue across the sky, Roxas realized why this place was called Twilight Town.

"Okay, tomorrow's the big day," Hayner said. "No matter what, we have to win."

"You guys will do great!" Olette said with a smile as she licked at her ice cream.

"Yeah, with all the training you guys have been doing, the other competitors won't stand a chance!" Pence said.

Roxas just nodded. He was sucking on the tip of his ice cream, deep in thought, when he felt Olette nudge on his shoulder.

"You've been quiet, Roxas. Something on your mind?" she asked.

Roxas smiled at her a little. "Just thinking about my friends back home."

"Homesick?" Pence asked, joining the conversation.

"A little…okay, well, a lot," Roxas admitted.

"Ah, don't worry about it, man," Hayner said. "Once we win the prize money, we'll get my car fixed and get you home before you can say 'Struggle.'"

"Struggle," Roxas said with a grin.

Hayner glared at him. "Shut up."

Later that night, Roxas lay awake on one of the couches in the Usual Spot. The others were already asleep, but he just had too much on his mind. The Struggle, whether he would make it back to his friends or not, and what he would do if he _did_ make it back. What would he say? What would he do? Just casually walk up to his friends and act like nothing happened?

He sighed and rolled onto his side. He would think about all this tomorrow. Right now, he needed to try to get some rest.

_________________________

"Why?!" Mr. Oakwood said to no one in particular as he banged his fists down on his work desk. He was on the verge of tears, but as a man and a cop, he wouldn't let them fall, even in his solitude. "First Roxas, and now my own daughter? Who's doing this?!" He sat back down in his chair, running his hands through his hair. He stared up at the ceiling. "What did I do to deserve this? Do you really hate me that much, God?"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Mr. Oakwood answered, composing himself.

A tall woman dressed in a black suit walked in. She had her brown hair pulled back into a bun, looking at Mr. Oakwood with stern, dark brown eyes.

"Detective Oldale," Mr. Oakwood said, standing at attention to his higher-up.

Detective Oldale placed a folder on the desk in front of him. "Those are files on the potential kidnappers. Since you usually patrol around that area, I thought you should have a look at them."

Mr. Oakwood grabbed the folders and flipped through the files. Just as Detective Oldale was about to walk out the door, she turned her head back towards him.

"The last suspect is one your daughter, Namine, suggested to me."

Mr. Oakwood looked at the last profile. His eyes widened at the suspect. _Seifer Almasy._

_________________________

"Welcome everyone to the twelfth annual Struggle Tournament!" the announcer up at the podium shouted. "We have some new fighters this year, along with some returning ones. The rules are simple: the person with the most orbs at the end is the winner. There will be six regular matches, and a chance to fight the champion, Setzer!"

There was a loud roar of cheering that carried through the air at the sound of the Struggle champion's name. Roxas and Hayner rolled their eyes, knowing that one of them would be the new champion by the end of the day.

"Okay, now for the moment you've all been waiting for," the announcer said. "The first match is: Hayner vs. Richie."

"I'm up," Hayner said with a smirk as he climbed up on stage.

"Good luck!" Olette said.

Hayner gave her a thumbs-up. "Thanks, but I won't need it. I've got mad skills!"

Olette rolled her eyes and smiled. "Just don't let your _mad skills_ go to your head too much."

Hayner laughed and went to the center of the ring, adjusting his orb vest as he did. Roxas and the others watched as he faced off against a kid with red hair. Hayner beat him within a minute, grabbing all his orbs. He walked back to the group and grinned.

"Told ya so."

"Whoa! What a heated opening match! Now for one of our newer Strugglers this year. Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Roxas!" the announcer said

Everyone in the crowd cheered loudly as Roxas walked up on stage, sword gripped tightly in his right hand. He smiled a waved a little, looking around at the crowd.

"And his opponent, Vivi!" the announcer continued.

A young boy, possibly around the age of twelve or thirteen, walked up on stage. He wore a blue coat under his orb vest, along with a pair of baggy, green pants. He had very dark skin, and seemingly yellow eyes. He wore an old, tan hat that covered his face in shadows slightly.

Roxas couldn't believe his eyes. "Vivi?!"

Vivi blinked. "Roxas? Is that you?"

"What's this? It looks like these two have met before!" the announcer said.

Roxas had indeed met Vivi before. He used to be the fourth member of Seifer's little gang, but Seifer treated him cruelly and ditched him. Vivi was one of Seifer's friends that Roxas actually liked. The little guy was kind to almost everyone, although a little shy. He certainly stood out when compared to Seifer and his group. Vivi had moved away with his family shortly after being ditched by Seifer.

"Well, Vivi, let's give these guys a show," Roxas said with a grin as he got into a fighting stance. Vivi nodded and got ready for the fight.

"Ready?" the announcer asked. "Three…two…one…GO!"

Vivi immediately rushed toward Roxas at high speed, swiping his sword at him. Roxas barely blocked the attack, having one of his orbs knocked off in the process. He was surprised by how fast Vivi was. He was definitely more skillful than Roxas remembered. Roxas continued to block Vivi's endless onslaught. He couldn't find an opening. Suddenly, Vivi jumped and flipped in the air, knocking Roxas on the head in a similar way to how Roxas had beaten Hayner when they were training. Roxas fell to the ground, having most of his orbs knocked off. He only had a few orbs left, while Vivi still had a full set.

_Damn!_ Roxas thought. _No…I can't lose here! My friends are waiting for me. I won't give up!_

Just as Vivi was about to deliver the final blow, Roxas rolled to the side and stood up, quickly slashing Vivi with his sword. Every orb was instantly knocked off Vivi's vest. There was silence for a moment, followed by a loud cheering.

"The match is over! In the last second, Roxas beat Vivi!" the announcer shouted.

Roxas looked around at all the people cheering, and then back to Vivi, who was looking up at him. Vivi reached out his hand.

"Good match," Vivi said.

Roxas shook his hand and grinned. "Thanks! You did great, too. For a minute there, I thought I was gonna lose."

Suddenly, Vivi pulled Roxas closer. He brought his lips up to Roxas' ear to whisper, "Seifer's secret base is located in a warehouse on 32nd Street and Fate."

Roxas blinked as Vivi walked away. What was the little guy talking about? Hayner, Olette and Pence gave Roxas a pat on the back as he stepped off stage.

"Roxas, that was awesome!" Pence said.

"We can celebrate when we win the tournament," Hayner said. He then turned to Roxas and added, "But good job."

After a few more matches, it was time for the final round before fighting the champion. The announcer stepped up to the podium once again and cleared his throat.

"The battles up to now have been absolutely amazing! Now it's time for round six. The winner of this match will go on to fight the Struggle champion, Setzer. The sixth match will be a battle between…Hayner and Roxas!"

Said boys went wide-eyed as they heard their names called. They stared at each other for a moment, before grinning.

"This is it, Roxas," Hayner said. "No matter who wins now, we'll still get the prize money." He held out his arm in front of him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm going easy on you," Roxas said, pressing his arm against Hayner's as a sign of their friendship.

Hayner smirked. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

The two boys stepped up on stage, facing off against each other. They stared at each other, the flares of determination burning in their eyes.

"Go!"

Roxas and Hayner ran at each other, their swords locking in a short battle between strength as they pushed against each other. They jumped away, shoes skidding across the ground. They ran at each other again and again, trading off blows. The battle was amazing. It was like a dance; like they were well-trained performers putting on a show; like they were professionals going head-to-head in a heated battle. Orbs flew here and there when one would get a blow in. In the end, however, Roxas stood victorious, with three orbs left, while Hayner only had two when the time ran out.

"The winner of the twelfth annual Struggle Tournament is Roxas! Everyone give him a round of applause!" The announcer said.

The crowd roared and cheered for what seemed like an eternity. Roxas felt proud of himself, and slightly embarrassed. He had never gotten this much attention before.

"Man!" Hayner said, falling to the ground in exhaustion. "I trained you too well!"

Roxas grinned and helped his friend up. The announcer suddenly stepped down from the podium and walked over to Roxas. He handed him a check for three thousand dollars.

"Congratulations, kiddo!" the announcer said with a grin. His face grew serious. "But there's just one more thing left. You've won the tournament, but that doesn't make you the champ. You have a choice: leave with the money now, or fight the champion, Setzer, and have a chance at becoming the new champion. Either way, you keep the money, but you'll get the champion trophy if you beat Setzer."

Roxas thought about it for a moment. Either way, he would get the money and be able to go back home. But did he want a big chunk of fame, also?

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the crowd cheered in unison.

Roxas made up his mind. "I'll do it."

"He's going for it!" the announcer shouted, getting the crowd even more excited.

Suddenly, a man with long, silver hair stepped up to the arena. He wore a long, black jacket that he used as a makeshift cape. He had tight, black pants and a white, long-sleeved shirt. He looked much like a prince. The look on this guy's face made him look arrogant. The moment he smirked, Roxas was immediately reminded of Seifer. A burning hatred started to well up in his stomach.

"Hey, _Rucksack_," Setzer said with a cocky smirk, "how about you let me win? I'll make it worth your wild."

Roxas blinked. This guy, who was supposedly the Struggle _champion_, was asking him to let him win? Roxas glared at him. "Not a chance."

Setzer shrugged. "Hey, it's your funeral."

Half the crowd was cheering for Setzer, while the other half was roaring for Roxas to win. The announcer yelled "Go!" and the two opponents ran towards each other. The match didn't last long, however, because Roxas was so pissed off at this guy, he jumped into the air, spinning and twisting, and landed a one-hit K.O. on the arrogant prick. Setzer was hit so hard by the blow, he was knocked out of the ring entirely. The crowd was shocked. They suddenly burst into a wild frenzy of joy and cheering. Roses, confetti, and even a bra were thrown into the ring as the cheering continued.

"I can't believe it! I've never seen anything like it! A one-hit K.O.! This kid is insane!" the announcer yelled as he ran up to Roxas and held up his hand. "Everyone, the new Struggle champion: Roxas!"

"Roxas! Roxas! Roxas! Roxas!" the crowd chanted.

"Dude!" Hayner shouted as he, Pence and Olette jumped up on stage.

"Roxas, that was amazing!" Pence said.

"Yeah, I can't believe you just totally wiped the floor with that guy!" Olette said.

Hayner placed an arm around Roxas and gave him a noogie. "Roxas, my man, you did it!" Roxas grinned.

"And this is official proof that you are the champion, young man!" the announcer handed Roxas a giant Struggle champion belt and a crystal trophy with four colored orbs on it.

_________________________

"There!" Hayner said as he slammed a thousand bucks down on the counter. "Now fix my car, gramps!"

The middle-aged man with blond hair looked down at Hayner with a look of annoyance plastered on his face. He wore a white shirt that pressed tightly against his muscles, and a pair of dark blue jeans. A cigarette bounced up and down loosely in his mouth as he spoke.

"I thought I told you to stop callin' me that! My name's Cid, damn it! But I'm glad you finally got the money. That old scrap of metal of yours has been taking up space for too long." Cid grabbed the money and put it in his pocket. He started to walk into a back room. "So, how'd ya get the dough? Steal it?"

"Nope! My good friend Roxas here just one the Struggle Tournament," Hayner replied with a smirk. "He even beat Setzer!"

Cid laughed loudly. "'Bout time someone kicked that guy's arrogant ass," he called out from behind the door.

He walked back out about half an hour later. Roxas and the group stood up from where they were sitting. They walked up to the counter.

"Alright, she's all set," Cid said, lighting up another cigarette. "I installed the part you were missing, and she runs like a charm now." He handed Hayner the keys to the car.

"Thanks, gramps," Hayner said.

"Goddamn it! I said quit callin' me that!" Cid yelled.

Suddenly, something caught their attention. The small TV that Cid had on a table started broadcasting the News. A woman came on with an urgent report.

"_A girl in Destiny City was kidnapped yesterday after school. A friend of hers found her car abandoned in the parking lot and contacted police immediately. Here is a picture of the girl."_

An image of a girl with shoulder-length, auburn hair flashed on the screen. She had pale skin and bluish-purple eyes.

"Aw, poor girl," Cid said. "Some messed up shit like that happens every day."

Roxas' eyes widened. "That's Kairi!"

Everyone stared at him. "You know her?" Cid asked.

"She's my best friend!" Roxas replied. "I bet it was that fucking Seifer! Hayner come on, we need to hurry!"

Hayner nodded. "Right. Let's go!"

"Hey, hold up a sec." Cid reached for something under the counter. He tossed a metal object to Olette. "Here. If you find the crooks, you might need to call for back up somehow. Oh! And one more thing." He reached under the counter again and pulled out four black cloaks. He tossed one to each of them. "Just in case you have to get your hands dirty in your whole 'rescue mission', you might wanna hide your identities."

They looked down at the small, metal object in Olette's hands. It was a flare gun. Then they looked back at the mechanic, who had a smirk on his face. They wondered if he was _just_ a mechanic, or if he had some 'other' business he was running, too.

"Uh, thanks, gramps," Hayner said. "We owe ya one."

Cid was about to yell, but the four teenagers were already out in the garage. He sighed. "Damn kids. Just don't get yourselves killed."

_________________________

**(A/N) Sorry if it seems like I kinda rushed the fights. I'm not too good at describing battles, plus I didn't want to drag this chapter on too long.**


	9. Chapter 9: The Final Battle

**Beautiful Soul**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters in this story. I do, however, own the mind that came up with the plot of this fan fic. Enjoy!**

**(A/N) This will be the second to last chapter of this story. I hope you guys have enjoyed it so far! Sorry, but I doubt I'll put a Roxas x Namine lemon, or any other lemon in here. I just can't really fit it in with the story. MAYBE I will, if I get enough reviews for it, put a lemon in here as an extra chapter. But that's a MAYBE. Oh, and P.S.: the cloaks they wear in this chapter look like the Organization XIII cloaks, but I think that's pretty obvious.**

**Chapter 9: The Final Battle**

Hayner drove faster down the road, glad to have his car back. Roxas sat in the passenger's seat, while Pence and Olette were seated in the back. Each of them were wearing the black cloaks that Cid had given them, with the hoods up. Roxas kept the flare gun hidden in one of his pockets. He stared at the dashboard, lost in thought.

"Hey, Roxas, don't worry," Olette said. "We're gonna find your friend."

"Yeah, I wanna meet her, too," Pence said with a smile.

"Speaking of your friend…" Hayner started. "Any idea where she might be being held captive?"

Roxas looked up for the first time during the half hour they'd been driving. He thought about it for a moment. Where would Seifer hold her…?

_________________________

_Suddenly, Vivi pulled Roxas closer. He brought his lips up to Roxas' ear to whisper, "Seifer's secret base is located in a warehouse on 32nd Street and Fate."_

_________________________

Roxas' eyes widened as he remembered Vivi's words. "Turn left up at the next street, then go right and follow the road for a mile!"

"You know where she is?" Hayner asked.

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, Vivi told me Seifer has a secret base that's located in a warehouse on 32nd Street and Fate. Kairi must be there!"

"Alright, hold on tight." Hayner pressed on the gas hard, taking two sharp turns and heading down the road for a mile, just as Roxas said.

After a few minutes of insane driving, they saw a large, metal building just up ahead. The windows were boarded up, and it looked like it had been abandoned for years. Hayner parked the car behind some trees, in the shadows where no one could see it. They got out of the car and sneaked behind the building. Luckily, there was one window that wasn't boarded up. The only problem: it was a little too high up.

"Hey, give me a boost," Roxas said to Hayner. Hayner walked over to him and held his hands low and cupped. Roxas put his foot in Hayner's hands and used them as a lift to get up to the window.

"Alright, now help me up," Hayner said, reaching up his hands. Roxas pulled him up to the window.

"Me too, you guys," Pence said. Roxas and Hayner had to use both their strength to pull Pence up, since he was heavier then them. When they were done lifting Pence up, they pulled Olette up.

They were now standing on an upper level of the warehouse. Boxes, both metal and wooden, were stacked up all around. There were a few broken signs and rusted railings that ran all along the upper level.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Pence asked.

Roxas gestured for them to huddle close together so he wouldn't have to talk loud. "Alright, so Seifer is most likely not alone. His friends, Rai and Fuu, go wherever he does. Rai is a big guy, very muscular. Fuu is a petit girl who looks harmless, but she has a black belt in two different martial arts. Hayner and I will take care of Seifer and his gang, while Pence and Olette look for Kairi."

Olette frowned. "Why can't I be part of the action?"

"Because I don't want you to get hurt," Hayner answered her. Olette blushed and smiled a little at him.

"Also, Pence can protect you if anything happens," Roxas said.

Olette rolled her eyes. "Actually, it would probably be the other way around."

"Hey!" Pence said.

"Shh!" Roxas hushed. "Do you want to get caught?"

Suddenly, there was a loud smacking noise that resonated through the warehouse, followed by shouting.

"You stupid bitch!" a voice said — Roxas recognized it as Seifer. "Did you honestly think you could escape so easily?"

Roxas moved closer to the railing, staying low as to not be seen. He gestured for the others to follow. He peered over the edge to the lower level, shocked at what he saw. Kairi and Fuu were both tied up to chairs, with tape covering their mouths. Seifer and Rai stood in front of them. Seifer looked angry, while Rai looked like he was trying to keep up a look of apathy, but an immense amount of guilt could be seen in his eyes.

"As for you…." Seifer turned to Fuu and slapped her hard across the face, knocking her and the chair she was tied up to over. "That was for betraying me. And this…" He kicked her in the stomach and her muffled scream echoed throughout the building, "…is for being weak and letting your emotions get the best of you."

Kairi looked at the beaten form of Fuu, and the angry sounds she was making sounded a lot like she was cussing Seifer out. Seifer walked back over to her, looking like he was about to hit her again.

Roxas clenched his fists. He looked around frantically for something that might help. He saw a broken, metal pipe lying on the ground. _Perfect!_ He grabbed the pipe and threw it directly at a light hanging above Seifer, causing a total black out in that area.

"What the hell?!" Seifer shouted.

Roxas jumped over the railing, landing to the ground with a soft _thud_. He was completely hidden in the shadows and he mentally thanked Cid for the black cloaks. Hayner landed beside him a couple seconds later, while Pence and Olette took the stairs, being careful to stay in the shadows.

Roxas had no trouble seeing where Seifer was, due to that stupid, white jacket he always wore. He stood out in the darkness like a sore thumb. Roxas rushed up to Seifer and gave him a swift punch in the stomach.

"_Oof!_" Seifer yelled, doubling over in pain.

"Who's there, ya know?!" Rai shouted, desperately looking around for the attackers. He was surprised by a punch to the face that was delivered by Hayner.

Kairi and Fuu looked around, trying to see what was happening, but it was pitch black where they were. What was happening? Were they under attack? Were they going to be hurt…or saved?

Roxas grabbed Seifer by the neck and punched him in the face repeatedly. Seifer, whose eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness, saw the outline of Roxas' cloaked form. He grabbed Roxas' fist just as he was about to punch him in the face again, and pushed it downward to the ground. He wrapped his arms around Roxas' neck and got him in a head lock. Roxas struggled to break free, but Seifer delivered a punch to his face. Now Roxas was even more pissed. He grabbed Seifer's arm and rolled forward, flipping him over his body. When Seifer hit the ground, Roxas rammed his elbow into his arm, making an audible snap echo through the air.

Meanwhile, Rai's eyes had also adjusted to the dark. He had picked up Hayner, tossed him against some crates, and then ran blindly to a wall. He felt against it until he found a light switch and flipped it on.

Now, with light flooding the warehouse, the four hooded figures were visible, but the top halves of their faces were still covered in the darkness of the hoods.

Seifer, who was clutching his broken arm and panting heavily, yelled, "Who are you?!"

Roxas gave a visible smirk. "Someone you _really_ shouldn't have pissed off."

Seifer's eyes widened as he recognized the voice. "You…."

Roxas looked to Pence. "Untie Kairi and Fuu. Get them out of here." He then turned to Olette and pointed his thumb at Hayner. "Help him." He was careful not to reveal their names.

"Fuu, too?" Pence asked. "I thought she was an enemy."

"I doubt she'll do anything after what Seifer did to her," Roxas replied.

Kairi's eyes widened. She recognized his voice, too. _Roxas…I knew you were alive!_

Pence walked over to the two beaten girls and untied them, taking the tape off their mouths as well. He helped them up, reassuring them that he was a friend.

"Argh! You won't get away with this, Roxas!" Seifer tried to make a run for the doors, but was blocked off by Hayner and Olette, who had teamed up and taken out Rai while Seifer was distracted.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hayner asked.

"Yeah, stay a while," Olette said. "The party's just begun."

"Like I said…" Roxas started, pulling back his hood, "You _really_ shouldn't have pissed me off."

Seifer smirked. "Alright, if it's a fight you want then let's go, _Roxy_. I'll have fun beating the shit out of you."

Roxas resisted the urge to laugh. Seifer had spunk; he had to give him that. Although he was outnumbered, the guy was still talking trash.

Roxas rushed up to him, fist cocked back and ready to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face. Seifer dodged the blow and parried to the side. He quickly pulled out the knife he once used to cut Roxas, and he swiped at his backside.

"Roxas, look out!" Kairi shouted. She wanted to run to him; to help him, but Pence held her back.

"Watch," he said.

Roxas quickly turned around and grabbed at Seifer's arm, stopping the knife. He looked at him sternly and raised his index finger, shaking it back and forth. "No knives in fist fights." He twisted Seifer's wrist forcing him to drop the knife, and kicked the weapon all the way across the room.

Seifer brought his broken arm up and punched Roxas in the face at the cost of a severe pain shooting up his arm. Roxas stumbled back a little, letting go of Seifer's wrist. Seifer jumped back and started running for a large pile of crates that were leading up to an open window on the roof.

_Shit! He's trying to escape!_ Roxas thought. He ran over to the bottom of the crates and took out the flare gun that Cid had given him.

"Hold it!" Roxas shouted, pointing the flare gun up at Seifer.

Seifer froze immediately. His eyes widened. He definitely wasn't expecting his opponent to have a gun. His smirk returned. "So, you complain about me having a knife, and yet you pull a gun into a fist fight? So who's the bigger pansy here?"

Roxas cocked the gun. "I'd watch what I say if I were you. Now, come down from there."

Kairi and Fuu were shocked. They weren't expecting Roxas to do something like this. Would he really shoot Seifer?

Seifer crossed his arms and glared down at Roxas. "Fine. Shoot me, _loser_. I'd rather die than bend to your will."

Roxas heard the sound of a car approaching outside. He knew what time it was, and just which kind of car it would be. He fired the gun and a bright, sparkling, red light flew through the air. It passed Seifer and went out the window.

Seifer blinked and looked out the window. He turned back to Roxas and after a couple seconds, and started clutching his stomach, laughing like there was no tomorrow.

"You…you missed!" He was still laughing his ass off. "This was your big chance to defeat me, and you _missed_!"

Roxas smirked. "No I didn't."

Suddenly, bright, flashing, red and blue lights could be seen from under the doors and through the cracks in the boarded up windows. Sirens blared loudly from the outside.

Seifer clinched his teeth. "Shit!"

"Come out with your hands up! We have the building surrounded!" a voice shouted through a megaphone.

Suddenly, the doors burst open and many policemen came through wielding guns. One of them was Mr. Oakwood. His eyes widened when he saw Kairi.

"Kairi!" he yelled. He and a couple other policemen rushed over to her and Fuu. One of the policemen grabbed Pence and pinned him to the ground.

"No!" Kairi shouted. "He and the other cloaked people are the ones who saved us. It's Seifer and Rai who did this to us!"

Mr. Oakwood looked around at all the teenagers. When he saw Roxas, he gasped. "Roxas? You're alive!"

Roxas turned back and grinned a little. "Yeah, sorry. I was kidnapped by Seifer and…" He was about to say '_Seifer and his gang_,' but then he saw Fuu lying on the ground, beaten and betrayed by those who called her a 'friend.' "By Seifer and Rai."

Fuu looked up at him and smiled a little, knowing that he had forgiven her. Meanwhile, Rai was now being held up and handcuffed by police. Some other police who had their guns pointed at Seifer, daring him to make a move, were now climbing the crates and handcuffing him as well. Some of them went over to Fuu to help her up and make sure she was okay, wiping blood from her mouth and carrying her out the door.

Roxas rushed over to Kairi and held her. "Kairi, are you okay? What did he do to you?"

Kairi smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. She pressed up against him as close as she could, closing her eyes. "I'm fine…now that you're here. I'm so happy you're safe."

_________________________

"Well Roxas, I guess this is it," Hayner said. "We're heading home now."

Roxas, Hayner, Pence and Olette stood together. This would be the last time they saw each other for awhile.

Roxas grinned. "It's not goodbye though."

"Yeah," Olette agreed. "It's more like, 'see ya later.'"

"Oh, Roxas, don't forget your trophy, belt and the Struggle money," Pence reminded him. He went back into the car and grabbed Roxas' things.

Roxas put the money and belt in his large coat pockets. And as he held the trophy in his hands, he stared down at the colored, crystal orbs. One by one, he plucked off an orb and handed one to each of them, keeping the blue one for himself.

"A symbol of our friendship," Roxas said.

"Heh, thanks man," Hayner said.

"Yeah, thanks Roxas. This is great!" Olette said with a smile.

"Yeah," Pence said. "Now we each have a treasure to remind us of the time we spent together."

Hayner held out his arm. "See ya."

Roxas pressed his arm to Hayner's and grinned. "Yeah, see ya."

Roxas watched as his new friends drove off. He knew he would see them again someday, so he wasn't sad. He was happy to finally be home.

"Roxas," Kairi called from behind.

Roxas turned to meet her bright, smiling face. He smiled back. "Hey, Kai. How are you feeling?"

"Like I said, I feel great now that your home," she replied. She looked down a little. "Roxas…there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now."

Roxas cocked his head a little. "What is it?"

Suddenly, Kairi wrapped her arms around Roxas' neck. She pressed her soft, pink lips to his, gently. Roxas' eyes widened. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Kairi pulled back and looked down.

"I love you."

Roxas couldn't believe what just happened. His eyes were wide. His mind was rushing through every memory he had of his time with Kairi. He couldn't believe he never saw her feelings before; that he never noticed all the signs. The way she would touch him, the way she would blush whenever he would compliment her, the way she smiled at him. And the way she seemed somewhat saddened whenever he would talk about Namine.

"Kairi…I…I never realized…"

Kairi shook her head and smiled a little. "I know. It's okay. I know how you feel about Namine. I know that this is just the natural distance between us, and that I shouldn't expect more. I'll always just be your best friend. And I'm fine with that. As long as I can be near you. As long as I have you in my life, I'm happy. I love you, Roxas…and I want you to be happy…even if it's not with me. I'm glad my sister has someone as special as you in her life."

Roxas was speechless. He didn't know what to say. What _do_ you say when your closest friend, who you've known for almost half your life, confesses their love for you? He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, much to Kairi's surprise.

"Kairi…thank you. You're my closest friend. You know I'll always love you."

Kairi wrapped her arms around him, a silent tear running down her face. "I know."


	10. Chapter 10 FINAL: Beautiful Soul

**Beautiful Soul**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters in this story. I do, however, own the mind that came up with the plot of this fan fic. Enjoy!**

**Final Chapter: Beautiful Soul**

It's been three months now since the warehouse incident. So far, things have been great. Seifer and Rai are in jail, and will be for fifteen years — although, Rai may get out sooner on account of good behavior. The drama and gossip going around Destiny High is finally starting to die down. And as for Roxas, Namine, Kairi and Fuu…things couldn't be better.

_________________________

Kairi and Fuu walked along the beach, hand in hand. Kairi was happy now. She didn't think about Roxas as much as she used to now. She had found someone who could love her.

Kairi was wearing a pink dress. It was one that she really liked, which consisted of a pink, zip-up jacket that went down into a miniskirt. She wore a white, sleeveless shirt underneath it.

Fuu wore a dark blue, spaghetti-strap shirt and a frilly, light blue skirt that went down to her knees. She had her hair held back with a black beret. Her lips were coated with her favorite, watermelon-flavored lipstick. It was Kairi's favorite, too.

"I'm glad to be here with you, Kairi," Fuu said, a slight blush running across her nose and cheeks.

Kairi looked at Fuu and grinned. "Me too." She continued to stare at Fuu.

Fuu looked down a little, noticing Kairi's stare, and her blush grew. "What?"

Kairi giggled. "You're cute when you blush."

They were now down by the water's edge. The ocean stretched out for miles. Suddenly, Fuu got a devilish idea.

"Kairi?"

"Yeah, Fuu?"

Without warning, Fuu pushed Kairi forward and she fell face first into the water. Kairi emerged from the water and stared up into Fuu's amused, red eyes. She couldn't believe Fuu just did that. Oh…she was gonna get revenge now. Kairi pulled Fuu into the water with her, laughing while Fuu screamed at the suddenness of it all.

"That's what you get!" Kairi said with a grin.

Fuu smirked and splashed her with water. Kairi splashed back and they continued like that for a minute until both were now freezing from the cold water. Fuu's teeth were chattering, so Kairi pulled her close. She kissed the petit girl, who blushed madly and eagerly kissed her back. The kiss became more heated and passionate, and soon they were both pressing up against each other, trying to get as close as possible. Fuu moaned into the kiss, and Kairi smiled against her lips. They weren't cold anymore. This was definitely something they both could get used to.

When they got out of the water, they were both smiling and blushing. Then, Kairi noticed something up ahead. Apparently they weren't alone on this beach. The two people she saw together gave a smile to her face. She was proud of Roxas for finally asking her sister out.

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"Roxas, this place is amazing!" Namine shouted as she danced around on the beach.

Roxas was amused by her reaction to this place. He was glad she was happy. And glad that he had finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date.

The sun was going down, lighting the clouds aflame in the twilight sky. The stars were just starting to appear, faint, but visible. The beach was empty, save for the teenagers who were enjoying this special moment. They deserved it after everything they'd been through.

"Hey, Namine," Roxas called.

Namine giggled. "Yes, Roxas?"

"Come here. I have a surprise for you." Roxas was sitting on a large log, and behind him, he held his crimson guitar.

Namine cocked her head and smiled as she went to sit on the log with him. She sat only about a foot away from him. "What is it?"

Roxas pulled out his guitar and held it in front of him. "I started this song at the beginning of the school year. My inspiration for it…was you."

He strummed a few soft chords, and then began to sing. "_I don't want another pretty face. I don't want just anyone to hold. I don't want my love to go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul. You're the one I wanna chase. You're the one I wanna hold. I won't let another minute go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul."_

Namine's eyes widened. She had no idea that Roxas could sing so well. She brought her hand up over her heart. A warm feeling was swelling in her chest.

"_I know that you are something special. To you I'd be always faithful. I want to be what you always needed. Then I hope you'll see the heart in me."_ Roxas changed the tune back to the one for the main chorus. "_I don't want another pretty face. I don't want just anyone to hold. I don't want my love to go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul. You're the one I wanna chase. You're the one I wanna hold. I won't let another minute go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul."_

Namine blushed. Roxas thought she had a beautiful soul? Was all this true?

"_Your beautiful soul…yeah. You might need time…to think it over. But I'm just fine…moving forward. I'll ease your mind…if you give me the chance. I will never make you cry. Come on let's try."_

Roxas was getting kind of nervous. He really didn't want to screw this up. But he was with Namine. And as long as she was by his side, he'd be fine. She could ease his mind.

"I don't want another pretty face. _I don't want just anyone to hold. I don't want my love to go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul. You're the one I wanna chase. You're the one I wanna hold. I won't let another minute go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul!" _He carried the last 'soul' for awhile, and then went on to the next verse, making the song a little more up-beat. "_Am I crazy for wanting you? Maybe do you think you could want me, too? I don't wanna waste your time. Do you see things the way I do? I just wanna know that you feel it, too. There is nothing left to hide."_

Namine was so happy. _Of course I want you, Roxas! There's no one else I would ask for._ She couldn't help but smile.

Roxas took a deep breath before he continued. "I don't want another pretty face. _I don't want just anyone to hold. I don't want my love to go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul. You're the one I wanna chase. You're the one I wanna hold. I won't let another minute go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul. Your beautiful soul! Yeah…."_

Roxas let the tune fade out until all that could be heard was the sound of the wind and the waves that were crashing upon the shore. He looked over to Namine, who was smiling like she was the happiest girl in the world. Roxas found himself smiling, too, as he laid the guitar against the log beside him.

"Namine…there are thousands of girls in the city, but not one of them has ever made me feel the way you do. With you, I feel like there's nothing I can't do. For three whole years now, I've been in love with you. And I just want to know if you—"

Roxas was abruptly cut off by Namine grabbing him by his shirt collar and pulling him forward, locking her lips with his. Roxas went wide-eyed out of surprise for a moment, but then closed his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she threw her arms around his neck. The kiss was sweet; pure; passionate.

In this moment, both Namine and Roxas had found the person they loved most in the world.

THE END…?

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"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on! _That's_ how it ends?!" a little boy with straight, blond hair and blue eyes shouted.

A twenty eight-year-old Roxas stared down at his six-year-old son. He blinked. "Well, what were you expecting?"

"Yeah, Reno, that story was so cool!" Roxas' daughter, Samantha, said. "It was a story of romance, action, adventure, drama, and the overall quest for true love!" She clasped her hands together and sighed, tilting her head to the side, letting her shoulder-length, blond hair fall to the side.

Reno rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "It would've been better without all the romance."

Roxas laughed and tucked his twin children in bed. "Alright, so I've told you a bed time story. Now, go to sleep you two. Oh…and…uh, don't tell your mother about the story I told you."

"Okay! Goodnight Daddy! We love you!" Reno and Samantha shouted in unison as they closed their eyes and let sleep take over.

Roxas smiled. "I love you guys, too. Goodnight." He flicked off the lights, leaving on a small night-light in the corner, and closed their door.

Roxas walked down the hall, back to the room he shared with his amazing wife, Namine. He saw her look up from the book she was reading, and she smiled at him.

"Hey," she greeted.

Roxas grinned. "Sup, sexy?"

Namine giggled and rolled her eyes. "Trying to act like a teen again?"

Instead of answering, Roxas climbed into bed and kissed his wife on the cheek. "What book are you reading?"

"A new one," Namine replied. "It's about some girl who goes to Washington and meets a bunch of vampires that sparkle."

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "You have some weird tastes, you know that?"

"I know," Namine said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "That's why I married you."

Roxas grinned. "That's cold. You need to be punished."

Namine smiled devilishly. "Are the kids asleep?"

"Yep."

"Good."

Really…THE END.

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**(A/N) *Whew* Finally! Well, it didn't take that long, but still. How'd you like it? Good? Crap? Think I should've added a lemon at the end like I originally planned? Well, I didn't because I suck at writing lemons. Just use your imagination. I didn't want to do the whole overrated Roxas-plays-a-song-at-a-talent-show idea, so I came up with this, even though it's probably been used before. ANYHOO! I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review.**


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